The town of Scarborough is spending $25,000 to hire an outside engineer to review a portion of the $27 million high school expansion and renovation project, though the Board of Education and Town Council voted in April not to spend $20,000 for a project-wide evaluation.

Scarborough Code Enforcement Officer Carroll Shepard has concluded he does not have “the technical ability to determine whether this construction meets the 1996 BOCA Building and IMC Codes” in certain places, he wrote in a July 5 letter to Ken Rand of project architect Harriman Associates.

As a result Shepard has contacted C and C Consulting of Boston to review the questionable areas.

Town Manager Ron Owens said the purpose of the review is to assist Shepard with some specific technical questions regarding the structural integrity of the gymnasium.

“It’s not a review of the entire high school project,” Owens said. “This has nothing at all to do with the previous discussion; these are issues dealing with building codes.”

Normally the town would require a builder to pay for the added expense for outside help, Owens said, but in this case the money will be coming from taxpayers either through the town or school budgets. Owens said if the town pays it would use money from the code enforcement budget.

The independent engineer will be on site on Thursday, July 14. The nearly $25,000 review will entail reviewing existing documents, site reviews, an assessment report and an optional meeting to discuss the findings.

“Basically all I want to say is he’s assisting me with some technical questions I have, not being an engineer,” Shepard said, adding that he attempted to contract with local companies, but all declined because of potential conflicts of interest.

Initially Shepard requested that Harriman Associates, the project’s architects, and Pizzagalli Construction, the project’s general contractor, pay for the added expense. But Rand, of Harriman Associates, refused, saying that any special studies or professional consultants would be considered an additional service and would need approval by the School Department.

“It’s not anything the school district has agreed to or entered into,” said Assistant Superintendent David Doyle.

The Scarborough School District has no interest in paying for the added expense, noting that it would require an affirmative board vote to overturn its April decision and allow the expenditure.

“It’s clear to us the board considered this at their April 14 meeting and voted not to pursue it,” Doyle said. “With the proposal from C and C, we don’t see anything that would change that. We feel pretty well with the process in place.”

The decision to bring in an outside engineer comes when concerns regarding the building have begun to resurface. During a Friday meeting of the High School Building Committee last Friday, several questions were raised regarding leaks in the roof after the June 29 storm, and possible mold issues.

Some of the leaks were caused when high winds blew a piece of siding across the roof, cutting the membrane. Another leak was caused by a problem with the flashing in the area. Others were caused by an overflowing storm drain and leaking heating pipes. All of the leaks have been repaired since, said Bill Lawrence, the project superintendent.

Town Council Chairman Jeff Messer, who led a charge earlier this spring to hire an outside engineer to review the entire project – at an estimated cost of $20,000 – said he continues to be frustrated by the number of leaks discovered in the building.

“It seems there are too many leaks too frequently,” Messer said.

Mold is another issue. The district has conducted indoor air quality tests for mold and found everything was acceptable. There was some mold found on some gypsum wall, which was removed.

However, Messer is concerned about the accuracy of the air quality tests. He said the testing areas were not enclosed, which could skew the results. He asked if it would be possible to conduct more mold testing, by pulling up floors and opening walls, which could cost $3,000 to $4,000.

School board member Linda Gordius also said intrusive mold testing should be done. She said it is the best way to ensure there is not a problem in the school and its cost should not be a deterrent.

“If the building was built right in the first place we wouldn’t have to spend the money,” she said.

Gordius said she plans on asking the school board to approve the expenditure at the upcoming school board meeting, on Thursday, July 21, but is not confident her request will be successful.