Trumbull Finalizes Audit Plans for High School Renovation

The town will begin auditing the Trumbull High School renovation by the beginning of August.

The audit is expected to end within 90 days, before the New England Association of Schools and Colleges comes to inspect the school for re-accreditation, said First Selectman Tim Herbst.

Herbst said he hopes the audit will show that the project is "above board." He said the review was requested by an ad hoc committee that included school officials.

He later added that it may also show where to make improvements. The renovation has drawn complaints from students and staff for leaks, missing doors and ceiling tiles and inconsistent heating and cooling, among other things.

AFB Construction, which is overseeing the on-site work, said the project is "millions" under-budget and should be finished (with two exceptions) before the start of the next school year.

The school has been under construction for eight years. One of the project's architects, Brian Holmes, said the roof still needs work and the locker room temperature controls need adjusting. The heating changes may require going out to bid.

The school also needs to meet state and federal code to double as an emergency shelter. That means it needs a generator, which Al Barbarotta, AFB president, is overseeing.

THS, which was built in 1972 and renovated starting in 2006, is not the only town school that needs work. AFB will likely handle future work because it works for the Board of Education and Al Barbarotta is listed as plant coordinator.

Herbst and Barbarotta are at odds right now. Barbarotta has accused Herbst of interfering with a potential building contract between TLC Inc. in Trumbull and AFB. The contract subsequently fell through. Barbarotta said Herbst is trying to "get" AFB.

Herbst said AFB could not have worked with TLC because it violated the town Ethics Code. He also questioned AFB's choice of contractor for school snow removal between 2011 and 2013. The cleanup cost $972,000, Herbst said.

The town Ethics Commission Dismissed a complaint filed by town Internal Auditor Jim Henderson, but specific details of the complaint are confidential because of the dismissal.

The first selectman noted that he hopes the audit will also lead to changes in the managerial structure of the Board of Education. Barbarotta wears "too many hats," he said.

Herbst cannot remove Barbarotta because the school district oversees the contractor.

School Board Chairman Steve Wright said the board is happy with Barbarotta's work. AFB was hired in the 1990s.