Contractor Settles with Alabama School System for $9M

Volkert & Associates Inc. has agreed to give the Mobile County Public School System $9 million to settle a 6-year-old lawsuit involving some schools where Volkert oversaw construction.

School officials sued Volkert, which oversaw $250 million worth of construction at dozens of schools, for allowing five schools to be built with leaky roofs and other problems.

The agreement was reached as a trial in the case was beginning its third week.

The system has received about $600,000 in settlements from architects and contractors for the projects. It fixed the leaks at four schools last summer.

Facilities Manager Tommy Sheffield said the system will use the money to repair roof and floor damage at McDavid-Jones Elementary in Citronelle and to cover other costs the system has incurred.