A judge in Chittenden County Superior civil court in Burlington denied a request to stop the demolition of Burlington High School on Monday.
Judge Helen Toor heard arguments for the injunction on Friday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by demolition contractor American Environmental against the Burlington School District. The suit centers around how the district awarded a demolition and environmental remediation contract.
American Environmental, which bid on the project, argued in its complaint that the winning bidder, EnviroVantage, should not have received the contract because it fell short of the district’s own criteria.
In Toor’s decision, she noted that American Environmental “has not met its burden of showing it is likely to succeed on its claims.” She went on to note that “the balance of hardships weighs in favor of the District. The public interest supports allowing the demolition of the existing school building to proceed in a timely manner.”
While American Environmental’s injunction request was denied, its underlying case is still pending.
Already delayed once by a pending lawsuit against Monsanto over the PCB contamination in the high school, the demolition and remediation of the Institute Road campus will be allowed to start after Feb. 18, based on an agreement with Monsanto’s attorneys.
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