Classical slab repair work done

LYNN – Reconstruction of Classical High School’s faulty slab foundation is done, according to city Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan.”All structural issues related to the settling first floor slab have been repa-ired,” Donovan wrote in a letter scheduled for review by Sch-ool Committee members on Thursday.Rebuilding the sinking concrete pad the Holyoke Street school sits on has been a five-year endeavor costing the city millions of dollars.The slab repair work required contractors to work inside the school, tearing up sections and reinforcing the slab.”All educational and corridor space has been restored on the first floor of the A, B and C wings of the building,” Donovan informed the committee.Although Donovan at the start of the school year had not yet declared the repair work finished, school officials announced the suspension of the split school schedule that forced freshmen to attend classes in the old Classical building on North Common Street while reconstruction work progressed.Shattered glass in hallway display cabinets and shifting doorways alerted city officials in 2004 to problems related to the school’s construction on the former Holyoke Street trash dump.The city sued 11 firms involved in the construction in 2005 as officials began reviewing repair estimates ranging from $14 million to $19 million to repair the slab; $3.7 million to remove mold behind exterior walls; $3 million to move students to alternative locations while the work was done and $1.2 million spent to date on engineering studies and other costs.The 4-year-old legal fight with school designers and builders over the concrete slab’s construction led to an $8.5 million settlement. A second settlement last March ended legal wrangling over design and construction of the school’s roof, walls and windows.Although the sinking slab represented the most significant repair focus, improper masonry work allowed water to leak into the school, causing interior walls to bend and bow. The $2.1 million provided the city with money to pay for the wall and window repairs.Damage to interior walls prompted city officials in June 2006 to monitor, contain or remove mold in the school and replace parts on heating and air conditioning units that were installed in the wrong size and allow water to enter the units.Mold was discovered in between exterior and interior walls and city inspectors said moisture seeping into the building, then becoming trapped between the walls, caused the mold.Following the discovery, former Superintendent Nicholas Kostan said the mold posed no danger to people using the building.City Chief Librarian Nadine Mitchell and public library trustees hope the Classical project’s completion will allow the city to spend money on major library renovations. Mitchell and Donovan are reviewing a study focusing on repairs to the North Common Street library’s walls, windows, skylights, front steps and its 17-ton front entrance columns.”We want to make sure every thing is weather tight,” Mitchell said.The library was poised to move ahead with architectural designs for a major library renovation and addition project before the Classical work and Manning Field construction became city spending priorities.