Other projects built by a large construction contractor came into question Friday after engineers hired by a North Texas school district found flaws they say worsened tornado damage.
“I’m glad that no one was harmed,” said independent engineer Tom Witherspoon, of the school findings. “It does expose a vulnerability that needs to be addressed.”
The company, Ratcliff Constructors, built Shields Elementary School, a Red Oak Independent School District campus in Glenn Heights. It was severely damaged in a Dec. 26 tornado.
On Dec. 31, NBC 5 first reported the findings of engineer Tim Marshall, who visited the school as part of a National Weather Service inspection team.
Marshall found exterior walls that he said were improperly connected to the concrete foundation of the school.
Thursday, the Red Oak ISD released a report on the damage in which the district’s engineers said improperly used fasteners were at least partially to blame for failure of the school’s exterior walls.
A Jan. 4 letter from Ratcliff president Max Young included in the Red Oak ISD report said the company “strongly disagrees with these allegations.”
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The report mentioned Ratcliff, a subcontractor and an inspection firm that was paid $26,000 to review the construction work. Messages left with all three companies were not returned Friday.
“The responsible parties will be held accountable,” Red Oak ISD Superintendent Scott Niven said in the district report.
Ratcliff’s website shows 73 schools the firm has built, many in North Texas, along with other public buildings.
Dallas Independent School District spokesman Andre Riley said the company worked on about a dozen Dallas schools since 2008. It built George H.W. Bush Elementary School in Addison. It is currently building May Elementary School on Brockbank Drive near Walnut Hill Lane.
Witherspoon said the errors documented by Red Oak ISD experts may have occurred elsewhere and other Ratcliff buildings should be re-inspected.
“It indicates a potential pattern. And you can’t see into the walls of the other buildings so we don’t know,” he said. “So I would question the other buildings, too. And unless they have pictures to show they were installed properly, then I would question all the other buildings.”
Marshall also said Friday that the Red Oak discovery should cause additional scrutiny of Ratcliff buildings and construction in general.
Andre Riley said in an e-mail that the Dallas ISD plans no additional review of Ratcliff Constructors buildings.
“The safety of our staff and students is vital, and we take multiple steps to ensure we are in compliance with appropriate building safety and construction requirements,” Riley’s e-mail said.
