A.C. Stelle bleachers not althey’re cracked up to be

The gymnasium bleachers that were installed more than 18 months ago at Alice C. Stelle Middle School in Calabasas are not usable, according to Las Virgenes Unified School District staff.

Donald Zimring, school district deputy superintendent, said the contractor, Gary Hopkins of George Hopkins Construction in Glendale, has not completed the project according to the terms of the contract.

“The fact is that the project was finished 18 months ago and we still do not have usable bleachers,” said Zimring.

“The (bleacher) welds have not been inspected,” said Zimring. “(Hopkins) has no way to know if (the bleachers) could collapse tomorrow. An inspector wouldn’t put his signature (on a certification form) because he is potentially putting children at risk.”

Hopkins blamed a subcontractor for the problems.

“Some corrections have to be made,” he said.

Hopkins, who said he didn’t know the name of the subcontractor he hired, added that the Division of State Architecture (DSA), which acts as California’s policy leader for building design and construction and provides design and construction oversight for public schools, has a separate approval process, which can take as long as two years.

Hopkins said the bleacher problem should be solved in the next 10 days.

Zimring disagrees that the DSA is at fault.

“We have DSA plans,” said Zimring. “It’s a matter of (Hopkins) installing (the bleachers) as per the approved plans and specifications.”

According to one school district staff member, Hopkins may have accepted a low subcontractor bid who installed the bleachers without DSA approval.

But according to Hopkins, “The engineer of record and the DSA have been in constant negotiations for three years.” He said the subcontractor’s mistakes have been “inspected and caught.”

Ordinarily, the bleacher welding is inspected by the DSA at the time of construction, along with other safety tests, Zimring said.