Architect defends self in permit controversy Expects to soon have complete permits for school construction BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - The $47 million high school construction project is continuing with temporary building permits as the state reportedly looks into the matter at the request of the mayor. Construction on the high school additions has been under way since October, though a full building permit was never issued by the borough's construction office. Questions over the permitting process, and who is to blame, have come to the surface at a time when a borough construction official is facing disciplinary charges and another employee of that department has resigned, blaming the problem at the high school on the Board of Education's architect. Last week, the architect, John J. Schnitzer, said he is confident he will have permits within two weeks, and offered his side of the story to the school board. He explained at the board's Feb. 20 meeting that he believed the construction office had approved the project two months before construction began, though he said the office gave little in the way of feedback on the plans once they were filed. Mayor Kennedy O'Brien told the Suburban that he has had correspondence with state Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Susan Bass Levin with regard to his request for an investigation into the matter, and that the DCA is looking into it. O'Brien said the DCA will issue a report on its investigation. "I asked for the equivalent of an audit on the permit process as it pertained to the school and what can be done to make it better," O'Brien said. Construction office employee Matthew L. Imparato, who resigned Feb. 8, has said that the board and the architect went ahead with the project without having the plans reviewed and full permits issued. But Schnitzer last week said he did submit completed plans to the construction department. He added that there were several occasions last year when he submitted updated plans to the department and they were stamped by the clerk's office. The construction department often did not respond or offer comments on updated plans he submitted, he said. When the building department did respond, Schnitzer said, most of its comments were minimal, with the exception of adding firewalls, which are currently being designed. Schnitzer said he thought the project had approval from the construction department in August. "Everybody knew we were out for bid," Schnitzer said, later adding, "I thought we were on the right track." In November, Schnitzer said, the subcode official in the building department told him that he had been unable to review the plans because they were incomplete. This was six months after Schnitzer felt he had submitted complete plans to the department, which he said occurred on May 23. "Needless to say, we have no permits," Schnitzer told the board last week. He added that he is in the process of answering questions that the building department has, and he and his engineers are working on their comments. Schnitzer said communication has improved with a new official at the construction department. "I am much more comfortable now," he said, noting that the acting construction code official, Kirk Miick, has been helpful to him and the project engineers. Miick took over when Construction Official Michael Gianotto was suspended by the borough on disciplinary charges. "All of the building sub-code officials along with the acting construction code official are very cooperative and are keeping the best interests of the students and the community in mind," Schnitzer said. The construction project is expected to move ahead on or close to schedule. With temporary permits, workers are continuing to erect steel and perform other work on the site. "I do not see any major setback," Schnitzer said of the timeline for the project. He expects the first phase of the project to be finished by late October, a few weeks later than originally anticipated. School Business Administrator Emidio D'Andrea said that Oct. 29 is the projected date the board anticipates phase one to be complete, but this does not take into account the lack of permitting for the work. Schnitzer said he could not provide an estimate on the increase in cost related to the firewalls. "We are all working together on a project to better the community," Schnitzer said. Resident John Bovery spoke during the public meeting, saying that the school board should take responsibility for the situation along with Schnitzer and the borough's construction office. "I think that everybody is to blame," he said. Bovery said he is also skeptical that Schnitzer was unaware of any problem with the review process, since the normal review period takes about 30 to 60 days. He also expressed disappointment at the lack of an estimate for the cost of changes to the plans in response to the comments from the construction department. "It is a disgrace not to have an estimate," Bovery said, adding that the public was promised that detail over two weeks ago. Resident Barbara Kilcomons said she thinks the board should be more open with the public, despite the board's contention that it does share matters of open record with the public. Discussing the added cost with the addition of fire walls, Kilcomons questioned why they were not included in the first place, and said it is unfair to the taxpayer to have to pay more. "The referendum was passed two years ago," Kilcomons said. "[You had] all of that time." D'Andrea said he has had weekly meetings with the building department since December in an effort to move the permit process along. Board of Education President Michael Macagnone said it is time to expedite the process in order to make sure that the project is not held up. "It is time to look forward and no longer look behind us," he said.