Firm in Fels project
fined in unrelated project

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

L. Robert Kimball and Associates, the architectural firm that drew up plans for the new Samuel Fels High School, was fined earlier this month by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for waste management violations on an unrelated project.
The DEP announced that it fined the firm $12,500 for violating the state’s Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law after discovering that a company employee falsified monitoring well data in Monroe Township, Snyder County.
The wells were installed as part of the Penn Valley Airport runway expansion project, which Kimball was contracted to design and provide construction oversight.
The fine was paid to the Solid Waste Abatement Fund, which is used to pay for cleanups across the state.
The firm was not involved in any environmental work done at the Fels site, at 5500 Langdon Road, the former home of John F. Kennedy hospital, according to school district officials.
According to DEP spokesman Daniel Spadoni, the architectural firm has no other history of DEP violations.
In response to a request for comment from the Times, L. Robert Kimball & Associates issued a statement that "... (Kimball) did not make a deliberate attempt to deceive the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Further, the settlement agreement between the DEP and Kimball does not state that Kimball staff deliberately deceived the Department."
According to Kimball, the wells referred to in the DEP violation measured groundwater elevations. Once notified that there was a problem, the company worked closely with the DEP to address the issues.
"Environmental remediation was not required, nor was there any environmental impairment. Kimball agreed to pay the $12,500 settlement to the Solid Waste Abatement Fund as a reasonable resolution. Kimball has 54 years of extensive experience providing quality environmental services to clients across the United States," Kimball’s statement concluded.
In an unrelated development at the Fels site, there are rumors that the pool might be pulled from the project.
"That information is not privvy," said Anton Hackett, director of external and community affairs capital projects for the Philadelphia School Improvement Team. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com