Conotton board approves $2.2 million settlement over Rocket Center construction

By Jacquie Humphrey

CCM Correspondent

Conotton Valley school board members approved a settlement in a lawsuit involving the construction of the Rocket Center.

During the October school board meeting, Superintendent John Zucal said he was notified late in the day Friday preceding the Oct. 17 meeting an agreement of $2.2 million was offered from VendRick and Holabird & Root in the lawsuit, which dates to November 2022.

Zucal apologized to the board for the late addition of the item to the agenda.

He and Conotton’s legal counsel have been working with Jeff Applebaum, a very well -respected mediator, and was cautioned by Carroll County Common Pleas Court the matter was best settled out of court.

Board Member Rob Higgenbotham asked Zucal if the agreement would prohibit any future restitution for the faulty panels in the Rocket Center.  Zucal replied it would, but that a settlement would also stop the large payments for legal expenses.

A lengthy discussion took place regarding the matter. 

“This is not what we agreed to, and we wouldn’t say this is okay if it were our home,” Higgenbotham stated.

 Zucal stated that, after a year of mediation, Conotton “would never recoup the cost of replacement”.

In the end Higgenbotham requested the agreement be separated for voting from the one other addendum item. The agreement passed with only Higgenbotham voting “no.”

As of Oct. 23, no judgment entry had been recorded in common pleas court, stating the case was settled.