On Tuesday, PA’s Commonwealth Court reversed an earlier decision by an Allegheny County court that found that the West Jefferson Hills  School District (along with others) had willfully violated the PA Separations Act by including the site plumbing for the new $73 million Thomas Jefferson High School in the site package instead of the plumbing. That appeal by the District, Nello Construction and the Laborers union aimed to reverse a decision in favor of the proejct’s mechanical contractor, Wheels Mechanical.

In reversing the Allegheny County decision, Commonwealth Court based its opinion on the doctrine of laches, which essentially meant that Wheels waited an unreasonable time before bringing its complaint. Because Wheels did not raise the issue during bidding or the first six months of construction, the Court decided its claim should not stand. What was left undecided was the issue of whether separating the plumbing beyond the perimeter of the building was a violation of the Separations Act. That battle will have to come another day.

In infrastructure news, the Southern Beltway Section 55c1-1 went out to bid, due in mid-April. These sections have run between $50-70 million each. Uber selected the design team of IKM and CJL Engineering for its next expansion, a $10 million buildout of 120,000 square feet in the Crucible Building in the Strip. Poerio Inc. landed a $33 million expansion of the FedEx Ground facility in Olive Branch, MS. Pitt selected Turner Construction as CM for its $4 million Scaife Hall Phase 1B project. McKnight Realty Advisors selected Allegheny Construction Group as contractor for the renovation of the Terminal Building (aka Riverwalk Corporate Center) in South Side, an 800,000 sq. ft. former warehouse. And the SEA awarded a contract to Massaro CM Services as its agent for the new 9th and Penn Garage. The 700- to 1,000-car garage will be one piece of the multi-phase, mixed-use redevelopment of two blocks in the Cultural District that is currently out for development proposals. The garage piece should run in the $20-25 million neighborhood.