Board of Education fires Thompson School construction contractor

MIDDLETOWN — The district’s $78.4 million referendum project experienced another setback as the Board of Education fired its general construction contractor at Thompson Middle School.

The board terminated TriRidge Construction Co., Harrington Park, at its Jan. 28 meeting.

"Part of the problem there is [that] he [TriRidge] hasn’t been paying the subcontractors," said N. Britt Raynor, board member and facilities committee chair. "He’s been in and out of the job and not taking care of his responsibilities."

Residents passed the referendum to renovate the district’s middle and high schools in December 1996.

Minor construction work remains to be completed at Thompson, Bayshore and Thorne middle schools.

The work includes touch-up painting, replacing chipped tiles and fixing broken hardware in cabinetry.

Work at High School South is nearly complete, except for minor repairs.

TriRidge was the main contractor at Thompson. The company failed to properly man its project despite written notifications, according to the board’s resolution. Project completions headed up by TriRidge are over two months overdue, according to the resolution.

TriRidge’s termination will slow work at Thompson Middle School, Raynor said.

"We’re in pretty good shape, but there’s a lot of miscellaneous and punch-list work that needs to be done," he said, such as landscaping, restoring lockers, and fixing windows and leaks.

Ohio Casualty Group, Hamilton, Ohio, held the agreement’s performance bond and will be responsible for completing TriRidge’s work.

"[Ohio Casualty’s] obligation is to finance the job under the terms of the contract bond that’s posted," Raynor said.

The bonding company will choose a new construction company to complete the work, he said, but a new firm hasn’t been decided on.

Ohio Casualty can rehire TriRidge if it elects to, he said.

Minor construction work and landscaping still need to be completed in all of the schools included in the referendum projects, except High School North, which is in its first phase of renovations and construction, he said.

Outdoor work will be at all the schools will be completed in the spring.

Indoor temperature problems at High School South were mentioned at the board meeting. The problem involved a newly installed temperature control system, Raynor said.

"The latest report is, they just got it worked out," he said, noting that the situation will be monitored for several months, he said.

Roof leaks at Thorne Middle School was also addressed at the board meeting.

"They’ve discovered what the problem is and, of course, when the weather finally cooperates, they will be able to take care of it," Raynor said.

The recent snowstorm will delay referendum work, including roof work, he said.

The snow’s moisture may help workers discover new leaks, he said.

High School North construction work is behind schedule by a few weeks due to a late locker delivery, he said.

"It will not affect the schedule of the auditorium [work]," he said.

The school’s auditorium is expected to be completed in March or April.

— Josh Davidson