Lufkin ISD to file lawsuit against playground contractors they say took school funds

LUFKIN — The Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to authorize filing a lawsuit against a playground company. According to our news partner KETK the school claims that the company, PTI Sports & Recreation, used payment from the school that was supposed to go towards the construction of two new playgrounds at Anderson Elementary and Herty Primary but never held up their end of the deal. In spring 2022, LISD received approval for a substantial federal grant for two new special needs playgrounds. Standard procedure for that grant was to give the initial approval, give them a timeline and the funds come when the job is completed on time and in budget.
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When PTI was told they won the bid, they reportedly said they needed half the money up front so they could use it to purchase materials for construction. LISD said they sent a check for about $164,000 to them, which Lufkin ISD’s in-house counsel Wayne Haglund said PTI confirmed receiving around June 2022.

At a board meeting on Thursday, the LISD Board of Trustees approved a termination of contract with PTI for the playground equipment installation.

“We determined with the time running out on our grant, that we needed to take other actions,” Haglund said. “Our board terminated the relationship with PTI, awarded the bid to someone different, and authorized the filing of a lawsuit against PTI for breach of contact and to recover our money.”

Money that came from Lufkin ISD’s public funds, Haglund said. Now, the district moves forward with a lawsuit to get their money back for what they say is a breach of contract.

PTI has not yet responded to several requests for comment.