BROOKFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – The Brookfield Local School District has reached a settlement in its lawsuit regarding construction issues with the district’s K-12 building.

The Brookfield Board of Education approved the terms of the settlement between the school, Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, Timmerman Geotechnical Group and Balog, Steins, Hendricks & Manchester Architects, Inc.

As part of the settlement, $1.45 million will be paid to the Board and OFCC and all claims regarding the project will be released, according to minutes from the school board’s meeting last week. It was also noted that Timmerman and the architects are not admitting any liability in the incident.

Of the settlement money, $900,000 will come from Balog, Steins, Hendricks & Manchester Architects, and $550,000 is from Timmerman.

The notice of a contingent settlement was filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court earlier this month.

The district filed the civil suit in 2020 after heaving issues were found in the building’s hallway and bathroom area after the school was built in 2011.

Soil testing prior to the construction showed that the shale present at the project site would need to be addressed by either pouring the foundation on the same day or pouring a mud mat to protect the shale, according to a report by Timmerman.

The contractors used the report to continue their work but problems surfaced after the building was constructed. According to court documents, the shale got wet despite efforts to stop it and expanded, causing the heaving. The district said that was Timmerman’s fault, but the company said it did what it was supposed to do.

The agreement comes before the case was set to go to trial on March 27.

Repairs are still being made on the building.