Brookfield Schools Agree to Settlement in Building Lawsuit

BROOKFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – The Brookfield Local School District has reached a settlement in a lawsuit relating to the construction of the district’s K-12 building.

The Brookfield Board of Education has approved the terms of the settlement between the school, the Ohio Facilities Building Commission, Timmerman Geotechnical Group and Balog, Steins, Hendricks & Manchester Architects, Inc.

As part of the settlement, $1.45 million will be paid to the board and OFCC and all claims related to the project will be dropped, according to the minutes of a school board meeting last week. It was also pointed out that Timmerman and the architect did not admit any responsibility in the incident.

Of the settlement, $900,000 will be paid by Balog, Steins, Hendricks & Manchester Architects and $550,000 will be paid by Timmerman.

Contingent Settlement Notice Filed in Trumbull County Common Petitions Court earlier this month.

After the district filed a civil suit in 2020, Heaving issues were found in the hallways and bathroom areas of the building After the school was built in 2011.

According to Timmerman’s report, pre-construction soil tests indicated that shale present at the project site should be addressed by pouring foundations on the same day or pouring mud mats to protect the shale. I was.

The contractor used the report to continue work, but problems surfaced after the building was constructed. Despite attempts to stop it, the shale got wet and swelled, causing uplift, according to court documents. .

The agreement comes before the lawsuit goes to trial on March 27.

Building repairs are still taking place.