Exterior Wall Movement Proves Expensive at Huntington High School
Huntington school officials continue to grapple with what has developed into an expensive problem involving movement of an exterior wall away from the east side of the building at Huntington High School. The situation was first identified last summer during an annual structural inspection and subsequent testing and examination has determined the area will require an estimated $398,040 in repairs.
Protective scaffolding has been erected over several sets of doorways in the area at the behest of the district’s architectural firm, Burton, Behrendt and Smith. “This was done in order to prevent any bricks from hitting individuals exiting the building, Assistant Superintendent David H. Grackin said. “This was a precautionary measure. No bricks have yet fallen.”
Since the problem was discovered a two-day invasive investigation costing $10,800 was conducted. It involved inserting a number of probes into the cafeteria area wall and the exterior facade. The results were studied by Ysrael A. Seinuk, P.C., a leading consulting engineering firm based in New York City. The company recommended that repairs be made to the Huntington High School wall “within a one-year time frame.”
“The original wall system consists of a 12” masonry ‘Larsen” wall, which bears partly on the first floor slab and partly on a continuous lintel hung from the first floor framing,” BBS wrote in a Nov. 2 letter to the district. “Above this wall and extending to the lintel above are 21 aluminum sliding window units, as well as several steel study and masonry infill panels which were added during renovations done about fifteen years ago.”
According to Ysrael A.Seinuk, P.C., the wall is moving outward due to a lack of expansion joints “which would absorb the movement” in the area, a “lack of masonry ties and reinforcement, which would restrict movement,” and the curved and unrestrained nature of the wall.
During a visual inspection of the building last summer, district officials noticed substantial cracking, which Ysrael A. Seinuk, P.C. said “has been attributed to thermal expansion under normal seasonal freeze/thaw cycles. While this movement has likely been ever present, it seems to have accelerated in recent years.”
The “sidewalk bridging” that was erected after results of the investigatory probes became known, extends 15 feet from the building. BBS said “The wall system is expected to continue this expansion, if unchecked, until it falls completely. While collapse is not imminent, it is probable to some degree.”
The solution to the problem, according to BBS, lies in the reconstruction of “the entire wall system from the top of the lower level windows to the top of the first floor windows,” would be removed and rebuilt from the north end of the faculty room to the south end of the cafeteria. The reconstruction wall would contain the necessary features that are now missing.
The repair will be costly. Removal and reinstallation of the existing windows is expected to run $40,000, the removal and reconstruction of the masonry wall system is pegged at $240,000, replacement of six existing mechanical louvers is estimated at $3,000, interior paint, base and ceiling finishes is expected to run $12,000 and a $15,000 electrical allowance has been included in the project package to bring direct construction costs to $310,000. Another $62,000 would be set aside for contingencies, escalation in prices/expenses and soft costs. Architectural engineering fees are set at seven percent of the project’s cost or $26,040.
“Since we obviously do not have this budgeted in the 207-08 budget, we will have to look towards other sources,” Mr. Grackin said. Trustees are now considering a recommendation that the capital reserve fund be tapped to pay for the project. These are monies that were able to be transferred from the school budget as a result of economizing and set aside to pay for building projects on a pay-as-you-go basis, instead of borrowing funds.
Before the capital reserve fund can be utilized, residents would have to give their approval for any such expenditure, most likely in May 2008 at the time of the annual budget vote and trustee elections.
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