Plano ISD trustees unanimously voted to approve the settlement agreement Aug. 20. This was for a lawsuit filed against the district by law firm Peckar & Abramson P.C. on behalf of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. in Collin County district court.
What happened
In approving the terms of a settlement agreement, legal proceedings that began in February 2022 over the $67.5 million fine arts center located at 1800 Alma Drive could end. District officials said the details of the settlement are subject to a confidentiality agreement.
At the meeting, Johnny Hill, PISD’s deputy superintendent for business and employment services, said the district’s administration recommended approval of the settlement agreement.
McCarthy Building Companies, the construction manager at-risk for the fine arts center, had sought $11.45 million in damages for alleged breach of contract. The lawsuit claims the company was not paid for the entire balance of the project and change orders for the fine arts center, as previously reported by Community Impact.
How we got here
The fine arts center was included in PISD’s $481 million 2016 bond program and hosts several events for students and outside artists. The 82,000-square-foot facility opened after several delays in July 2023 and includes a visual arts gallery, 1,500-seat performance hall and a black-box theater.
The fine arts center was originally set to open in January 2022, but delays occurred because of claims from the district of “significant cracking as a result of poor workmanship and/or design," as previously reported by Community Impact.
Discussions of a proposed settlement agreement to the lawsuit among PISD trustees have been ongoing since at least March 2023.
The takeaway
If finalized by the parties in the lawsuit, legal proceedings between McCarthy, PISD, architecture firm Perkins & Will and more could end after more than two years.
