Construction resumes at Argyle school district after fatal accidents

Construction work has resumed in the Argyle school district after two workers were killed during separate accidents at a job site earlier this month.

The frame of an indoor activity center under constructioni on the high school campus collapsed April 2, killing Julio Perez Ledesma, 36, of Fort Worth, who was working on a lift. Three other workers were injured.

Five days later, on April 7, Daniel Moran, 22, of Haslet, was killed when he was run over by a slow-moving truck while clearing out the wreckage from the building collapse.

Argyle’s school board conducted an emergency meeting that night, where trustees decided to hire a safety consultant to evaluate all of NorthStar Builders’ construction projects with the district. NorthStar representatives agreed to stop construction until the consultant submits a report to the district.

However, this week, the board approved NorthStar’s revocation of that voluntary suspension, and the company will resume limited construction work. That same night, the board approved the hiring of Archer Western Contractors as its safety consultant.

NorthStar can work on its Argyle school district construction sites, including the indoor activity center, tennis courts, stadium and middle school — all part of a $45 million bond package approved by voters a year ago. The company has to check with safety consultants before starting any vertical steel construction, according to a district news release.

NorthStar will “enhance” the fences and gates around its district sites, add warning signs and improve cleanup of debris and materials, the news release says.

Archer Western is expected to submit a final report in early May.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating both incidents at the Argyle school, about six miles south of Denton.

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Construction resumes at Argyle school district after fatal accidents."