The saga of the multiple lawsuits involving construction of the new Butler County Prison has nearly come to an end, and the county can only recoup money at this point. Following a marathon mediation session Wednesday in Pittsburgh, a settlement between the county, A.G. Cullen Construction and Travelers Casualty & Surety was reached. The settlement covers a county court case filed against the county by Cullen, the project's initial general contractor, and a federal lawsuit filed against Cullen and the county by Travelers, Cullen's insurer. Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said in an interview Thursday the settlement is good news for the county. "We're very pleased to be out from under that," he said. Under the settlement terms, the county retains the roughly $6.5 million paid by Travelers to complete the project after Cullen left the South Washington Street job site in December 2007. Travelers also will pay the county an additional $229,000.
