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Last month, the Board of Education was forced to end their relationship with Kenstar Construction Corporation due to a breach of contract with more than 50 percent of the project complete.
At the monthly Board of Education, district officials announced that bonding company International Fidelity was chosen to continue and complete the project.
The delay forced the district to push the completion date from February break to the summer.
According to the board, “The agreement defines the scope of costs and schedule, calling for the completion of the auditorium proper by the end of May. The agreement further stipulates that construction fencing and trailers will be removed from the site by the middle of June and that the lobby will be substantially completed no later than the end of July.”
Last year, the State Education Department approved a $10 million renovation on the school’s antiquated auditorium and science labs, marking the first overhaul since the 1960s.
According to the district, Kenstar contractors failed to make certain payments, didn’t work up to the school’s standards and failed to live up to their end of the contract.
Renovations at the high school are something district officials have sought for years.
In May 2012, the Bronxville Board of Education approved the borrowing of $5 million through a bond referendum to support the $10 million project. Another $2 million will come from a construction reserve the district created in 2011. The final $3 million is coming from the Bronxville PTA, the Bronxville School Foundation and other private donors.
As part of the $10 million project, contractors will also renovate the science labs, with demolition set to begin over the summer while students are on break. Despite the delays on construction in the auditorium, the labs are still expected to be open and operational by the time the academic year starts in September.
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