A three-inch thick binder of responses from the Scarborough schools has not allayed concerns two town councilors have voiced about the quality of the high school construction project. Several councilors support hiring an outside engineer to review the work being done.

The binder, compiled by the Scarborough School Department, high school project construction manager Pizzagalli Construction and project architect Harriman Associates, address issues raised by Town Council Chairman Jeffrey Messer and Councilor Robert Patch regarding the quality of the high school construction project.

On Wednesday night, after the Current’s deadline, Messer is planning to give the council a presentation detailing his concerns about the project, which will incorporate construction photographs and various e-mails from project leaders highlighting some of the issues they were aware of during the construction.

Messer said that he believes the presentation will persuade the council to move ahead with a $20,000 appropriation to hire an outside engineer to review the project.

“I don’t think there’s any question we need to do that,” Messer said.

But there may not be enough support on the council to approve such a move, which requires five affirmative votes. Councilors Shawn Babine and Steve Ross both said they would vote in favor of the proposal. So too will Patch, who said he would like to see the engineer stay at the project until it is completed.

However, Councilor Patrick O’Reilly said he is not in favor of hiring the engineer. He believes the council should first discuss the issue with the High School Building Committee, the Code Enforcement Department and those working on the project before moving ahead.

“I think there are some steps we need to take before hiring an outside engineer,” O’Reilly said.

Councilor Sylvia Most said she has reviewed the district’s information and felt it has answered some of Messer’s more serious questions. She said she would wait until Wednesday’s council meeting before making a final decision, but at this point was “skeptical” as to why the town would have to spend money for an outside engineer.

“I read enough to feel that answered the questions satisfactorily for this stage of the project,” she said. “I’m really unclear what additional information an outside engineer will tell us.”

Also on the fence is Councilor Carol Rancourt, who said after reviewing the documents she still does not have an opinion and will wait for Wednesday’s meeting before deciding.

The district’s information, which has been given to the Town Council, school board, High School Building Committee and the state Department of Education, outlines the steps that have been taken to repair the issues cited by Messer in his memo sent to the district earlier this month. The district is hoping the detailed information will put to rest any concerns he or others may have regarding the project.

“It is imperative that the citizens of Scarborough feel confident about the Scarborough High School Renovation and Additions Project: its design, workmanship and materials and construction administration,” said Superintendent William Michaud in a letter accompanying the binder.

“We believe that our replies to the points raised in your memorandum unequivocally answer your concerns and should remove any doubt about the project’s quality.”

The binder contains responses to each of Messer’s concerns on a question-by-question basis. It includes responses by both Pizzagalli Construction and Harriman Associates for most of the points and also has detailed construction documents explaining how and why actions were taken.

“Every question in here has been addressed, there’s nothing new,” Michaud said.

Also in the binder is a memorandum by Norm Justice, the school facilities manager, who also is the owner’s representative for the project. Justice said the issues raised by Messer were not new and have been handled during the construction process.

Justice also calls into question how these issues arose in the first place and said he doubts they came from a “friend (of Messer’s) who is a developer,” as Messer has claimed. Instead Justice said an individual with direct knowledge of the project identified the problems, and Messer and Patch and took an unauthorized tour of the project.

“It is unfortunate the Mr. Messer and Mr. Patch have knowingly facilitated the efforts of an apparently disgruntled former employee of the project,” Justice wrote. “It should be clear from the attached information that this individual has purposely provided incomplete and biased information to these Council members in an effort to discredit the project quality, project team and administration of the contracts.”

Patch said the information contained in the document has not cleared up his concerns over the project. For example, there is a large section dedicated to the question of the installation of the anchor bolts and possible damage done to them. But Patch said the memo fails to state if the issue was ever addressed.

“I looked at it and a lot of answers they gave, I don’t think they are the honest answers,” he said.

Still the School Department is standing by the project and the work, saying that all of its evidence indicates that everything is being done up to par.

“We want this project to be the very best it can be,” Michaud said. “That’s what we’re working toward and we think we are getting.”

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