Riverhead school board agenda: District to terminate $500,000 contract for door work

Citing failure to pay subcontractors, comply with its contract and other reasons, the Riverhead school board is expected terminate what appears to be a nearly $500,000 agreement with M.H. Kane Construction for door upgrades in the schools, according to a copy of the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting.

The district awarded the Bohemia-based company a $484,000 contract in June 2010 for the upgrades to help the district comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The contract was insured, which will allow another contractor to finish the job without costing taxpayers any additional money, according to superintendent Nancy Carney.

“Terminating a contractor for cause is never taken lightly but unfortunately we have had to ask the board to take this step because of continued problems with the project’s results and progress,” Ms. Carney said in an email.

In August, the board approved a change order that required the contractor to furnish the necessary equipment and labor to install four sets of double doors at Pulaski Street School, although it wasn’t immediately clear if the Pulaski Street doors were part of the original contract. According to the change order, M.H. Kane was also asked to credit the school district with an unspecified amount of money for erroneously leaving steel frames and transoms in place, which prevented the new wooden doors from being installed at Pulaski.

It was also not clear if the work at Pulaski had been completed.

“M.H. Kane has failed to take the necessary steps to bring itself into compliance with its contractual obligations,” the January 10 agenda states.

It is not clear in what other ways the company failed to comply with the contract.

In other news, the board is set to accept a mission statement for the creation of the 2012-13 school district budget. The budget goals are as follows:

1. To design and adopt a budget that stays withing the 2 percent tax cap limitations.

2. To design and adopt a budget that preserves programs for [district] students to the greatest extent possible.

3. To design and adopt a budget that maximizes staff productivity.

4. To design and adopt a budget that recognizes the current fiscal reality for Riverhead residents.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the high school cafeteria. Scroll down to see a copy of the agenda.
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