Moon Area School Board to Consult Solicitor's Firm on Change Orders

president Sandra McCurdy said an architectual lawyer from the district's solicitor firm Maiello Brungo & Maiello will assist board members in reviewing interim change orders on school construction projects. 

The board in recent weeks that a Moon resident had volunteered to consult with individual board members on a pro-bono basis regarding construction change orders, drawing criticism from some members of the public, including former board president Mark Scappe. 

McCurdy said board members and John Wilhelm, of the Moon-based CJL Engineering, reached a mutual agreement to not move forward with that consulting. Instead, she said, board members can now confer with the district's solicitor's firm on interim change orders. 

"But we are going to have to pay for that," McCurdy said. "Because people made this ugly and made it sound inappropriate we are not going to consult with John." 

The district is in the midst of an extensive renovation of its former high school, which will open as its new middle school later this year. Board members appointed Maiello Brungo & Maiello as the district's solicitor firm at its reorganization meeting. 

McCurdy said Wilhelm has not communicated with board members on any change orders approved by the board in recent months. Wilhelm, who is married to Julia Wilhelm, campaign manager for six board members elected in the 2011 election, could not be reached for comment. 

McCurdy said Wilhelm agreed to consult with individual board members independently from his firm. She said the intention of the consulting was to gain insight into the pricing of change orders. 

"It was really just a resident coming forward and saying 'Hey, I have some expertise in this,'" she said of the consulting. "But every decision goes before the board.

"It was never going to be board members asking him 'Should we approve the change order or not?'" she said. "It was 'Are we getting a fair price?' Because we want to be sure that we are."

The board in recent weeks appointed facilities chairman Dennis Harbaugh, who is employed as an architectual draftsman, in charge of reviewing various change orders that the district must access in between board meeetings. In the past, Superintendent Donna Milanovich reviewed those requests.

The board will meet for its regular workshop meeting at 6 p.m. Monday. Check back with Patch for more coverage.