Apr 9, 2015 3 min read

The Observer-Reporter incorrectly reported in Thursday’s edition that Accelerated Construction Services LLC of Morgantown, W.Va., was responsible for a security breach at a Carmichaels Area School District building Tuesday night. The newspaper regrets the error.

Carmichaels Superintendent John Menhart said the school district began implementing a new security plan Wednesday after one door near the junior-senior high school auditorium was left propped open Tuesday night, allowing a man to enter an area that was under construction at the time.

Menhart said the additional costs of school custodians locking every door after construction workers leave for the day will be passed along to the general contractor, Nello Contracting of North Strabane Township, which he said is responsible for securing the building each night. Menhart was reviewing the daily plan with the school district’s business office Thursday morning and could not immediately estimate how much it might cost.

The school district hired Nello Construction in April 2014 to work as the general contractor on the renovations and agreed to pay the company $6.9 million for the work. No teachers or students are permitted in the section of the building being renovated, although Cumberland Township police arrested Joseph McKenzie, 30, of Nemacolin, after a school custodian found him about 8:30 p.m. in an auditorium under construction. A door was left open after construction crews left where McKenzie allegedly entered.

“It’s a tough situation to secure the buildings, but now there’s no excuse,” Menhart said, adding that no students were ever in danger from Tuesday night’s incident. “It’s just a matter of locking the doors.”

Menhart said the district had a security issue last summer when plastic sheeting covering windows and at least one open door left the building vulnerable to trespassers. School district officials worked with Accelerated Construction Services, which is managing the renovations, to “remedy the problem.

“They act on behalf of the district and make sure the different trades are doing what they’re supposed to do,” Menhart said of Accelerated Construction’s role.

He praised the overall work from Nello and the other contractors working on the renovations. Nello officials declined to comment.

Tom Allen, who is the senior project manager for Accelerated, said they’re working to manage the overall project, and the renovations are going well.

“We’re there to protect the district’s best interests,” Allen said. “We’re the driving force on that project.”

Menhart said the district now will treat the construction section in the same manner as the area where students and teachers are located. Custodians will lock each door when crews leave for the night to ensure the building is secure. The superintendent said the renovations remain on track to be completed this August before the start of next school year.