Photo: New turf field at Great Valley Middle School undergoes repairs for settling on 10/31/2008.
Update: More Sink Holes in Turf Field at GVHS
At the January 5, 2009 School Board Meeting the Administrator of Building and Grounds announced that there are 2 more sink holes in the new Turf Field covering the Football Field. They have rendered the field unuseable. There was no information shared as to when they would be fixed.
These are the third and fourth sink holes since the field was completed this school year. As we explained below in our original article, the School Board approved the use of over $2,200,000 for installation of turf fields over ground that the District knew contained sink holes. It is likely that they will be repairing holes every time we get a heavy rain.
So far, they have spent over $38,000 to repair the holes. Every time they repair a hole they must tear up the field, which can only reduce the overall quality of the fields. The District has no idea how much future repairs will cost.
This is another example of the poor oversight and lack of fiscal responsibility of the School District and the School Board.
They don't have enough money for technology for the classrooms, but they spend millions to put turf fields over sink holes.
History of Sinkholes on High School and Middle School Grounds
In what appeared to be a response to concerns from the community, the School Board received a briefing at their October 6, 2008 meeting regarding problems with the new Turf Fields.
Mr. Linderman, the Business Manager, had some comments prior to the briefing by Mr. Krumrine, the Buildings and Grounds Administrator. Mr. Linderman acknowledged there were sinkholes on the new Turf Fields and then he gave a history of the sinkholes that have been prevalent on the High School and Middle School grounds. He stated that many sinkholes were uncovered during construction of the Middle School and some have opened up several times on the land near Phoenixville Pike. He also recalled that years ago there was a very large sinkhole on the grounds that was big enough to swallow a vehicle.
In other words, he acknowledged that there was a history of sinkhole problems on the grounds where the new Turf Fields were built.
$2,000,000 for Turf Fields with Sinkholes
Mr. Krumrine stated that there were problems with both Turf Fields. He stated that the Middle School Field had “settling ground” that has been repaired, but that there remains a slight depression in the field. The field is useable. He stated that the football field has also been repaired, but there will be a continuing sinkhole problem on that field. It is useable at this time.
He said that they have just completed some sophisticated engineering studies of the football field to include an examination of the ground and pipes under the field. This has revealed sinkhole problems that will continue to cause problems for the new Turf Field.
He anticipates that further repairs will have to be made.
Additional Cost to Taxpayers
It was very disconcerting to then hear that although the minor ground settling issues will be repaired by the contractor at no additional cost, the sinkhole problem is not covered by the contract.
All repairs of sinkholes will have to be done at additional cost to the taxpayers.
How did this happen?
- Since it was obvious that the School District knew there are sinkhole problems on the grounds, how did we end up paying over $2,000,000 for new turf fields that now have sinkhole problems?
- Since the School District knew there are sinkhole problems, why did they approve a construction contract that did not cover that contingency and did not have guarantees regarding the stability of the fields?
- Did the School District brief the School Board on the possibility of sinkholes and did this enter into their decision to build the fields?
- Did the School District brief the School Board on the possibility of having to pay extra to repair sinkholes?
Lack of Fiscal Responsibility……..a continuing problem
At the School Board meeting there was no discussion between Board Members or with the School District personnel about who was responsible for this failure. It was treated like an informational briefing and they all just seemed to accept the fact that we have sinkholes. This is unacceptable.
The School Board just spent over $2,000,000 of our tax dollars for Turf Fields that were found to be deficient immediately after they opened and taxpayers will have to continue to pay for repairs, which may be significant.
This lack of fiscal responsibility is unacceptable. We expect the School Board to look into this matter and to take the appropriate steps with those responsible for this failure.
Contact the School Board
Use the Contact Board Members button on our website to send emails to the Board with your thoughts regarding this issue.
