Council finds more issues in Civic Center construction

By Clare Jensen

The Signal
cjensen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: August 14, 2008

Losing two parking spaces and aesthetic appeal because of a 13-foot placement error are just a couple of several problems Edgewood City Council has encountered in the Civic Center project.

The council is now ques-tioning the construction firm Babbit Neuman’s commitment to the original project specifica-tion documents.

After a tour of the building for the council to see the impact of the 13-foot placement glitch that was revealed to the city in June, Mayor Jeff Hogan noticed other discrepancies within the building that appeared to stray from the contracted plan.

At a council meeting Aug. 12 with project associates from architectural firm Miller/Hull, these issues were slowly dragged into open discussion, as the council seemed to reach a consensus that the contractors were simply not holding up their end of the bargain.

The grade of the wood used in the interior of the building, as well as exterior siding stipulations, were brought into question.

The wood used was supposed to be first grade and hand selected with minimal knots, to ensure the stability of support for the building.

While the wood bears a qualifying stamp, large knotholes were visible to council members during their tour. Contractors said they would be removing the holes, filling them, and sanding them for a finished product that would equate the selected grade.  

“I don’t feel that filling the hole is a remedy for wood that should not have had those knots in the first place,” said Councilmember Mike Kelley.

Councilmember Steve Cope noted he would never accept knotholes in the wood used for his own home. “I certainly would not accept them at city hall,” he said.

The other issue brought to the forefront by project manager Mike Jobes of Miller/Hull was that the exterior siding was primed on only one side, not all sides, as stated in the terms for the project.  Instead, four-inch pieces of wood had been laid over the seams of the siding on the front and back, something that Jobes said is an acceptable method.

“They would need to throw all that siding away,” if the council decided they were not satisfied with the method the contractors used. “We don’t feel that is a measure that is necessary.”

Jobes stated that because priming all sides of the cedar would have cost more than the wood reinforcement the contractors used, monetary compensation could be an appropriate mitigation.

While the actual method used may ultimately be acceptable for the council, it was a matter of principle that came onto the table.

“You wrote a spec, and we approved it. If they’re not building to the spec, we need to [be informed],” Hogan said. He noted that the council members should not have been the ones who noticed the problems. “You guys need to step up and tell us what the deficiencies are. You need to be on top of it – we shouldn’t have to be on top of it.”

The council made no decision on how to move forward with the siding and wood-grade issues.

Because the city considers those aspects of the project to be non-conforming at this time, they chose to direct contractors to stop work on that aspect of the building until further direction from the council.

A briefing on how the city may choose to move forward will be held later this month. They will also receive more detailed options for placement issues that came out of the contractual error of placing the building 13 feet farther north than was stated in the architectural plans for the Civic Center.

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