Burrell School District investigating small fissure near Buccaneer Stadium

A geotechnical firm is investigating the cause of a slight movement of the hillside near Burrell School District’s Buccaneer Stadium.

Over the summer, the district’s athletic custodian noticed at least one fissure in the ground near the stadium. There was a slight pulling away of the ground from a light pole near the track that looked like stretch marks on the ground, Superintendent Shannon Wagner said.

The crack was a little more than 1 inch and about 6 inches long, she said.

The soil disturbance is on the far side of the stadium, away from the seating. The fissure has since been filled.

There are no safety issues or damage to the field and the stadium, Wagner said.

The stadium and its facilities recently underwent an almost $2 million renovation, including new drainage.

The drainage work did not occur in the area where the ground is pulling away, Wagner said.

“I would hate for us to have spent $2 million (on the stadium) and then something crazy happens,” Wagner said last month.

“We have to do our due diligence,” she told the school board.

The school board agreed to hire the firm Artuso Construction Engineering Consultants of Swissvale to investigate the cause of the fissures.

Wagner had no update to provide and said she doesn’t expect to have information on the firm’s investigation until spring.

Board members are concerned about the long-term status of the hillside and want answers.

Rick Kaczor, the board’s vice president, wanted to know whether the hillside was natural or made of fill. Wagner told him that there are stories that at least part of the hillside is made of fill.

Kaczor said he thinks the trees are likely holding it up, “but the right rain or the right winter could not make it so good.”

However, he said he has no immediate concerns about the site.

“We don’t want to leave an issue that comes up 10 years from now,” he said.

Wagner agreed, saying, “We are simply being proactive for the future.”

Board member LeeAnn Guido wanted to know how much insurance the district has in case something happened to the hillside and the stadium.

District business manager Jennifer Callahan reported that if the movement of the hill causes any issues to district facilities, the district has insurance with a $100 million limit.

Artuso Construction Engineering Consultants is taking core samples and conducting other environmental investigations to provide the district with an explanation of what is happening to the hillside.

The company was hired to find the problem, not fix it, Wagner said.