A new utility storage and maintenance building for the city of Pittsburg has experienced its fair share of construction delays.
Whether it is design issues, lack of communication between contractor and building manufacturer, the schedule of having the building done by October of this year is looking more and more impossible.
Pittsburg Director of Public Utilities John Bailey said that the issues started with the manufacture of the building itself.
“The building has a block exterior and to protect it, the architect designed an overhang,” Bailey said.
However, when the prefabricated building arrived in July, the building had not accounted for the brick exterior of the overall property.
Delay number one.
“We’ve tried to see what modifications can be done to make it without starting all over again,” Bailey said.
He said that an engineer has designed a solution to that problem, but that brought up another issue.
“The building manufacturer wanted more compensation that might be considered a little excessive,” Bailey said.
Delay number two.
With the prefabricated building, Bailey also said that any modifications should be made so as not to violate any potential warranty.
Now, we move on to delay number three.
Bailey said that the contractor on the project has not always had the best communication with city officials on the status of the project. He said that the city has tried to have a ‘hands off’ approach with regard to the contractor working with the engineers, architects and building manufacturer.
The building, itself, will be used to house the city’s larger pieces of equipment and also provide an area where crews can maintain that equipment.
Bailey said that city utility funds have been used to pay for the clean up of the area around 13th and Walnut and stimulus funding has also helped with the cost of the project.
The project has a completion date set for October and the contract allows for a $500 per day charge for construction work remaining past the due date.
“I think we’re about two months being on the utility building,” Bailey said.
If the timeline is not met, the city will have to contact the Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and communicate a new potential completion date.
Bailey said that the contractor has also requested that some of the early days of construction not count against the contract days.
But, city commissioners remain confident that they will get a completed project that they asked for, because of Bailey’s engineering and utility experience.
“We are safe in knowing that we will get what we’re paying for,” said Commissioner Bill Rushton.
On the Web:
City of Pittsburg: http://www.pittks.org
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140
