Contractor: Concerns raised about pipes

A contractor says Clayton County school officials and an engineer were alerted that heating pipes might be faulty eight months ago, but went ahead with installation in a Jonesboro elementary school.

(An earlier version of this headline was changed for clarity.)

On Monday, the Clayton school board approved $217,500 in work to replace heating and air conditioning pipes at Mount Zion Primary School. Joseph Jones, the district’s chief operations officer, said the 4-inch pipes are too small and unable to adequately heat the 49 classrooms in periods of severe cold weather.

“The kids have heat,” Jones said on Monday. “But if the temperature gets too low, we could have serious problems.”

On Thursday, officials of MWC Construction, which built the school, said they had questions about the pipes for the water source heat pump system in April, while the construction was under way.

“Clayton County, the subcontractor and us had concerns about the pipe size,” said Ralph Moses, president of MWC. “We told him [mechanical engineer Roosevelt Powell] we didn’t think it was right.”

According to Moses, Powell told contractors the pipe size was sufficient and to move forward with installation.

Reached Thursday night, school district spokesman Charles White said he needed time to research the pipe issue before commenting.

On Monday, Jones said he didn’t find out about the pipe problem until November.

Jones said he asked the engineer to pay for the new 6-inch pipes, but the engineer refused. Jones said the district likely will seek legal action to recoup the money for the pipe replacements.

Roosevelt Powell, the mechanical engineer, did not return two phone calls Thursday.

The $14 million school, which houses 540 students in grades kindergarten through second, opened in August.