Mold, leaky ceilings and cracks in the foundation are just a few of the problems Town Councilors Jeffrey Messer and Robert Patch have found at the high school, and now they are asking if the town should hire a structural engineer to inspect the work.

However, school district officials contend there is nothing seriously wrong with the building and said that when the district provides answers to Messer and Patch they will see why particular decisions were made.

“I don’t think we have structural problems and I don’t think the problems identified are particularly severe,” said Superintendent Bill Michaud.

Pizzagalli Construction Company, the project’s construction manager, said it would provide all of the documents that have been requested. Pizzagalli Director of Business Development Kevin Freeman said most of Messer’s and Patch’s concerns are cosmetic. He said a $21 million construction project occurring in an operating school will have some complications. The entire project approved by voters has a $27 million price tag.

Freeman said all issues will be taken care of before the end of a one-year warranty the company has given the town on the building work. The exact date of the warranty’s expiration is unclear, however. Messer believes it runs out in September, a year after the school took possession of the building, but it may not start until all work is done on the building. Freeman was not sure when asked this week.

Michaud said the mold issue occurred during installation of wet dry wall and carpeting, which have now been removed. There were some wet ceiling tiles in the cafeteria last week, but it was due to snow blowing into the air ducts during a storm and then melting.

Michaud said he does not think the town should hire a structural engineer to review the work.

“I’m not sure about that,” Michaud said. “I’m not sure I think it’s necessary. I’m not sure if they will feel that way after seeing the answers.”

Messer said he has been concerned about the project for several months after Pizzagalli Construction began missing deadlines. One of the main reasons why the company was hired was because they said they could meet the project’s aggressive deadlines, he said. Most recently the cafeteria, which initially supposed to be ready in August, was finally opened in January.

Messer started seeing some of the problems several weeks ago when he was at the school and some of the building’s problems were pointed out by a friend. Since then he has taken tours of the building to review its construction and found a number of problems that he documented in a four-page memo to the Town Council.

“There really shouldn’t be anything wrong with this new building,” Messer said.

What especially concerns Messer is that more problems may arise in the future and to ensure that does not happen said the town should hire an independent engineer to inspect the work.

“As a councilor it’s my job to make sure the public gets the $26.9 million it paid for,” he said, adding that he wants to make sure the town does not encounter any long-term maintenance costs.

Patch, a contractor, has requested numerous construction documents from the district, which he hopes will provide some answers to his questions, although he said that what he has seen so far has only raised more questions.

He said his biggest problem is with the mold that has already been removed from one of the classrooms. He said the problem still seems to be there.

“To have it there now when the building isn’t a year old isn’t going to sit well with me or the general public,” he said.

But until he reviews the construction documents, Patch said he would not be able to tell if there are major problems. For example, the wet ceiling tiles could be condensation or it could be something wrong with the roof. More importantly, he doesn’t yet know whether the builders tried to find the problem or simply replaced the tiles.

It does seem the some of the specifications were not followed, Patch said, and it could be because of meeting the construction deadlines.

“In my opinion, yes they are trying to rush to get things done on time, which would compromise how the specs are followed,” he said.

Freeman said Pizzagalli is committed to doing good work on the building. “We’re not going to walk away from this job. We’re delivering a quality product,” he said.