DALLAS — A trade school in Northeast Dallas has filed suit against the city, claiming storm debris cleanup operations in a lot next door have caused sawdust to clog air conditioning units, forcing the school to cancel class.
The Medisend College of Biomedical Engineering Technology filed for a temporary restraining order. A hearing on the matter was delayed until Tuesday after the city said it would conduct a walkthrough of the site to determine potential dust control options, the school's lawyer said.
The vocational school teaches military veterans how to repair, maintain and calibrate medical equipment, explained president and founder Nick Hallack. The broken AC units have caused it to enter a second week of canceled classes.
"It means they can’t graduate. It means they can’t graduate and they can’t get jobs," Hallack said.
From the roof of the business, he can see city crews chipping away at trees, branches and limbs leftover from the storm that hit the city in May. "They took all of the trees and debris from Dallas and parked it right behind our building," Hallack said.
He said the sawdust from the work clogs and breaks the air conditioners -- and daily repairs and cleaning of the rooftop units aren't helping.
"We had to shut the school down because of the damage done by the city. We can't turn the air conditioners on," he said.
Hallock worries the closure will be a major setback for the students -- and the schools.
"In our case, it's an existential threat. It's a real existential threat because we can't stay closed for very long," he said.
A city of Dallas spokesperson said the city can't comment because of the pending lawsuit, which is due back in court Tuesday.