SLO architecture firm sues Paso Robles school district for $47,000 in unpaid work
A San Luis Obispo architecture firm is suing the Paso Robles school district, claiming the company was never paid nearly $47,000 for contracted work at sites slated for renovation.
RRM Design Group Inc. filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Jan. 27.
The complaint alleges the company received only about $12,000 of the nearly $59,000 it’s owed for contracted topographical survey work.
Civil lawsuits provide only plaintiffs’ points of view — defendants’ perspectives are not included. But the district did respond to a Tribune inquiry on the lawsuit.
“The district does not agree with the allegations made in the complaint,” Brad Pawlowski, the district’s chief business officer, said in an email to The Tribune. “We are, however, working through our legal counsel to hopefully find a resolution to this matter.”
Paso Robles voters in November 2016 approved Measure M, a $95 million bond to fund improvements at nine school sites and to build an aquatics complex on the high school campus.
As work began on the bond-funded upgrades, the school board voted on Sept. 26, 2017, to accept a $69,915 bid from RRM for survey work, according to meeting minutes.
The surveying was to be conducted at Georgia Brown Elementary School, Marie Bauer Preschool, Glen Speck Academy of the Arts, Pat Butler Elementary School, Virginia Peterson Elementary School, Daniel E. Lewis Middle School, George Flamson Middle School and the aquatics complex site, according to a proposal document.
District financial crisis
The RRM contract was approved prior to former Superintendent Chris Williams’ sudden resignation and the significant school board turnover that occurred after the November 2018 election.
The school district has been dealing with a financial crisis for the past year and a half, and officials are still trying to make up a $3 million budget shortfall.
According to the complaint, RRM completed the survey work and invoiced the Paso Robles school district for $58,658.02 between March 2018 and October 2019, but the district did not pay the firm $46,658.02 of the money it was owed.
RRM’s attorney wrote to the district on Oct. 30 and demanded payment but received no reply, the complaint says. The firm then filed a pre-litigation claim with the district but got no response, prompting the lawsuit.
