Bethel Park preps for possible lawsuit over hillside project

The engineering firm that worked on repairing the hillside slip at Bethel Park High School may also give expert testimony if the school district decides to sue the contractors who built the high school and the problematic hillside.
The district spent about $650,000 to stabilize the hillside near the softball field after it started slipping about two years ago. Contractors finished the project last fall.
The board will likely hire at the regular meeting June 26 the project engineer, Garvin Boward Beitko Engineering, to provide expert testimony in preparation of a possible lawsuit. The board briefly discussed the matter at the committee meeting June 19.
Engineers from the Robinson-based firm told the board earlier that the hill started slipping because it was made up of unsuitable fill. Engineers said they found the hill was made up of soft soil, tree stumps and construction debris that were left over from when the high school was built about seven years ago.
School officials are exploring legal options to try to recoup the money spent on the hillside’s reconstruction, but no lawsuit has been filed yet.
To repair the landslide, workers had to remove the unsuitable fill, install a drainage base and replace the bad fill with layers of stone and rock that would be more stable and allow water to drain more easily. The process took several months, after weather delays and attempts at less extensive repairs.