KRGV.com

EDINBURG - A local contractor and a Valley priest are at odds. It all started with renovations to an old church hall. The contractor claims he was not paid for the work.

He says from the beginning, collecting money was an uphill battle. John Rigney, a private contractor, took on a job to transform a church hall.

"Tore it all down," says Rigney.

The renovations were priced at $715,000. The contract was signed in 2010. Rigney says his work at the Holy Family Catholic Church took about a year.

"They've paid us most of it, yes, but it's been difficult getting the money from the church all along," says Rigney.

He says the church still owes him more than $40,000. He's pushing forward with legal action.

"It's frustrating, but now it's the lawyers who are dealing with it," says Eusevio Martinez, a priest at Holy Family Church.

Martinez admits he owes the contractor money. He says the amount owed is only $9,000. The priest says the contractor didn't hold up his end of the deal so he's holding onto the money. Martinez points to unfinished sidewalks. He also says the air conditioning isn't flowing properly in the building.

"We've done our job and we deserve to get paid. When you have to beg the church for work you've performed, it doesn't seem right," says Rigney.

Rigney says the sidewalks are unfinished because the priest didn't want to pay the proper price to finish them. He claims the air conditioners are working just fine. He wants to be paid for the work he's done, and he wants the file on this job closed.

The priest says the city of Edinburg won't issue a certificate of occupancy until the sidewalks are finished. That certificate is basically a permit. Right now the church only has a temporary one. Rigney says it's not his problem. He says he's lost a lot on money on the deal and wants to walk away with what he's owed.