City accepts $200k contractor settlement

Historic City News learned that, while the total cost for the City to repair damages at the Visitor Information Center was $390,000, city commissioners last week approved a settlement from contractors Perry-McCall and Walker Parking Consultants for only $200,000.

No contribution to the settlement was reported from Halback Design Group, Les Thomas Architect, Inc., or Dixon and Associates Architects, who each were designers on the nearly $20 million parking facility and Visitor Information Center project.

While disputing the charges, contractors Perry-McCall and Walker Parking Consultants “desire to resolve and settle all claims”. Perry-McCall will pay $80,000 under the agreement and Walker Parking Consultants $120,000.

The problem at the city-owned VIC was first detected in late September 2009, when city employees noticed water stains and “what appeared to be microbial growth on the interior ceiling”. A ceiling collapse over the restrooms, reported by Historic City News in October 2009, revealed excessive moisture in the overhead ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

“This project was handled by outside contractors,” City Attorney Ronald W. Brown said, “and right now there’s a lot of finger-pointing among them.”

The city hired Skyetec, an indoor environmental consulting firm, to conduct an inspection of the HVAC system.

The city commission voted to hire a construction litigation attorney to oversee who’s going to pay for the apparent design flaw.

The public restrooms remained closed for more than six months through May 2010, necessitating expenditures for portable toilets and construction costs for repairs. Brown said remediation experts were called in and the area “stripped down to the studs” to assure no mold development.

At last week’s commission meeting, Brown confirmed that, “negative air pressure, drawing moist, outside air into the Visitor Center restroom area,” was to blame for the problems.

Brown told commissioners that $84,000 included in the project cost figure was accounted for as “upgrades”, and could not be included in the legal negotiations. “The balance could be tied up in court for years”, Brown said, if a settlement was not reached.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News staff photographer