Although the partially-built Public School No. 14 does not pose an imminent danger to the public, Construction Official Michael Feuer has ordered construction stopped, saying that engineers have failed to provide documentation that the construction methods used are acceptable and safe.
According to Jay Coffey, director of law for the city of Bayonne, the city failed to receive requested information from the Bayonne School District after months of trying.
Rumors of problems had circulated for several days prior to the action, suggesting that the city took the action only reluctantly.
Coffey said the city’s construction code officer inspected the construction of the new building – which is slightly over 40 percent complete – and discovered construction techniques that needed explanation.
Although unwilling to go into specifics except to say that the site poses no immediate danger to the general public, Coffey said the city has requested that the engineers for the school district prove that the construction is safe.
“Several months ago, we notified the Board of Education that our engineers had concerns about the construction integrity of the project,” Coffee said. “The city has not yet received documentation from the Board of Education’s engineers. A month ago, Mike [Feuer] issued a violation.”
The last action, Coffey said, came about two weeks ago when an engineering firm hired by the city conducted an inspection of the construction site and found that issues the city asked the contractors to address had not been handled.
The stop order prohibits the construction crews from doing any additional work, Coffey said.
“We needed to stop this at this point because if there is something wrong, it is difficult to go back and fix it if they do any more work after this point,” Coffey said. “We don’t want them putting up plaster walls if we don’t know if something may be wrong within those walls.”
While the Board of Education is another public body, it must meet the same construction code standards as anybody else, Feuer said.
Because the Board of Education is acting as its own general contractor, it receives the legal notices and must answer the questions raised in these complaints.
“They are the legal responsible body,” Coffey said.
Feuer said no fines have been issued as a result of the stop work order, but they will be if work continues without the city’s consent.
School Business Administrator Clifford Doll did not respond to several calls made to his office prior to the publication, although staff members there said he was aware of the request for comment.
Could keep school from opening in September
Feuer could not say how long construction will be halted. Coffey said once the Board of Education’s engineers satisfy the city that construction is safe and reliable, the city will lift the construction ban.
The School District can appeal Feuer’s decision to the city’s Construction Review Board, which holds a meeting each month.
School officials were hoping to have the school open by September. The shutdown could delay the opening.
Mayor Joseph Doria issued a statement on the shutdown.
“In recent days, several Building Department inspectors have been visiting the School No. 14 construction site,” Doria said. “After the inspectors voiced concerns about various construction issues, the Building Department brought in a structural engineer from the engineering firm of Schoor DePalma to evaluate and report on the work there. In light of the evaluation by the structural engineer, the Building Department shut down construction until all of the concerns about the building can be addressed.”
Doria commended Feuer and the staff of the Building Department for being conscientious in applying building codes to the school construction and for taking appropriate action to assure the job is done right.
“All of us want the school to be built properly in order to ensure the safety of our school children,” Doria said. “The City of Bayonne will work in a cooperative manner with Dr. Patricia McGeehan, superintendent of schools, and with Clifford Doll, school business administrator, to resolve the issues at the construction site for the benefit of our students’ safety.”
School No. 14 is operating this year at the former Our Lady of the Assumption Grammar School on West 23rd Street. The new school building is under construction on the site of the former St. Joseph’s Grammar School one Avenue E and East 24th Street.
Most of the workers left the site as soon at the red tag (the sign of a stop work order) was posted on May 19, although those few who remained would not comment, or said they did not know what the city thought was wrong with the construction.
The $18 million project received more than $4 million from the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation in 2005, covering about 40 percent of the costs considered eligible by the state.