Ouachita Parish board gives contractor 30 days to finish Sterlington Middle School punch list or hire replacements

The Ouachita Parish School Board voted to give Baron Construction Company one final 30-day extension to complete outstanding punch-list items at Sterlington Middle School and authorized staff to hire other contractors and charge costs to the withheld contract funds if work is not finished.

Board members said the project was granted substantial completion in July 2024 but significant items remain. Ross Ryerson, a construction presenter at the meeting, summarized the timing and technical issues, saying the board had "granted substantial completion on the project with the general contractor back in July nineteenth of 20 24," and that the project had since been "235 days beyond substantial completion." He explained that substantial completion allows the owner to occupy the facility while the contractor finishes remaining items and that the typical lien period runs concurrently with the contractor completing the punch list.

The board heard that a number of site items — including athletic fields and site work — were still incomplete, and that there were unresolved change-order questions tied to site drainage and utility ownership. Ryerson described a design item involving an armored coating at a drainage crossing and said disagreements with a pipeline owner affected the scope and cost of that work.

Board member Manley moved that the board send a formal written notice to Baron Construction granting 30 more days to finish the identified punch list, and that if the work remains incomplete staff be authorized to hire appropriate contractors and deduct the cost from contract withholdings. The motion carried with all members voting in favor.

The board recorded that the extension is intended as a final opportunity; if the contractor does not finish within the 30-day window staff will solicit other contractors to complete the remaining items and use the board’s withheld funds to pay for that work. No additional appropriation of funds was approved at the meeting.

The board discussion included repeated references to the embarrassment and public concern about prolonged outstanding work on a $32+ million school complex and to the need for documentation for auditors when final payment is made.

The contractor and the board will now have a 30-day timeline; if the work is not completed within that time the administration will proceed to hire others to finish the remaining items and recover costs from contract retainage.