News from Oct. 6, 2005 issue

Board files Rocket Arena suit

Crittenden County School Board has filed a lawsuit against five corporations seeking a solution to the deteriorating concrete at two-year-old Rocket Arena.

Construction of the gymnasium was completed in 2003 and last fall school staff and administrators began noticing and documenting alarmingly frequent cracks in the concrete steps and walkways in front of the arena.

The concrete has continued to crack and break apart. Some large chunks are now breaking loose and school officials want it fixed.

While the concrete problems in front of the gym are the most visible, the school system says in its complaint filed in Crittenden Circuit Court that the entire structure could be in jeopardy.

Named as defendants in the suit filed Sept. 28 are Federal Materials Company Inc., of Paducah; Hanson Aggregates Midwest Inc., of Louisville; Rogers Group Inc., of Louisville; A&K Construction Inc., of Paducah; and K&S Engineering and Contracting Company Inc., of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

The complaint says that the concrete poured in the footers, foundation and flatwork is flawed because of a chemical reaction called Alkaline Carbonate Reaction (ACR), which is progressively causing the concrete to pre-maturely deteriorate. The nine-page legal complaint alleges that rock from a quarry near Princeton may be to blame for the problem.

Limestone rock is mixed with various other components to make ready-mix concrete. Most of the aggregate additive in concrete poured in this area comes from one of the nearby rock quarries.

The complaint, signed by school board attorney Bart Frazer, says the school board "believes that ACR susceptible materials are contained within the cementious materials throughout the gym's structure." It goes on to say that the only way to solve the problem is by replacing all of the concrete affected by ACR.
Frazer said the concrete supplier conducted tests of the concrete throughout the gym, however, the results are unknown to the school board at this time. He said the school system will be conducting tests of its own to determine how widespread the problem might be.

The gymnasium cost $4.8 million to build. The lawsuit claims that the contractors, aggregate suppliers and ready-mix concrete producers are individually and collectively to blame for the concrete problem and should have to pay for fixing it.

Similar problems with concrete in private homes and offices around western Kentucky prompted class action lawsuits in Hopkins and Caldwell counties. The Caldwell County suit has recently been moved to federal court in Paducah where it awaits confirmation of class action status.

The case regarding Rocket Arena seeks a jury trial in Crittenden Circuit Court and "damages in an amount sufficient to repair the Crittenden County gymnasium." Frazer said no fixed price has been determined at this point because it's still unclear how much damage there is in the non-visible, structural portions of Rocket Arena.

The school system is suing the contractors and material suppliers based on its six-count allegations of breach of contract, breach of express warranties, breach of implied warranties, negligence, negligence per se and violation of the Kentucky Building Code.

Civil cases such as this tell only one side of the story. Attorneys for the defendants will now have a chance to file their responses.

Band qualifies for quarterfinals
The Crittenden County Rocket Regiment is marching its way to success this year.
Last Saturday, the high school band earned its first trip to the quarterfinals of the Kentucky Marching Band Championships.

It is Crittenden's first bid since the competition was introduced in 1986.
"This is a major accomplishment for the band program," said director David Moss, who is in his fourth year at CCHS.

Quarterfinals of the state competition will be held at Hopkins County Central High School on Saturday, Oct. 15. Crittenden will perform between 12:45-1:15 p.m.

The band and its 25 members qualified for the state-level event by virtue of its performance at a Christian County competition Saturday.

Though the band's numbers are down a bit, Moss said those who take the field are dedicated, which has paid dividends this year.

The band will perform the field show it unveiled during halftime of the Rockets' Sept. 16 football game. A Rocket Odyssey includes several space-themed songs such as Also Spark Zorastra, Moon Dance, and Walkin' on the Sun and Jupiter. During the field show students march to their designated positions making geometrical formations while playing memorized music. The Regiment Color Guard shows its colors with flag work and dances that give the show personality.

The Rocket band's new attitude is attributed to both hard work and to good looks. This year's band has emerged polished in their new uniforms.

The band has been busy off the field as well, as 36 members from both the middle and high school held a play-a-thon and community pancake breakfast to raise nearly $1,000 for the Red Cross. Earlier in the year the band played the National Anthem at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.