By Dan Hust
LAKE HUNTINGTON — August 3, 2010 — Preliminary numbers indicate the Sullivan West Central School District has recouped more than it’s spent in nearly a decade of litigation over the Lake Huntington high school’s construction.
According to a document FOILed from SW’s business office, the district to date has paid $2,298,868.74 in legal, consulting, engineering and support fees, with the highest amount – $818,563.87 – going to the school’s attorneys at Bond, Schoeneck and King.
The district has also had to make $338,715 in payouts to Leeward Construction and Albany Specialties as part of previous settlements.
But settlements with Turner Construction Company and The Hillier Group have resulted in $4,660,000 coming SW’s way.
Put it all together, and SW has actually come out ahead, retaining a balance of $2,022,416.26 after all payments made to date.
However, while the litigation has ended, outstanding legal expenses remain, so that balance will be whittled down further. Still, district officials are confident it won’t put SW in the red.