Contractor breaks off City Hall work
Lolita Harper
Contractors responsible for an already problematic
seismic-retrofitting project at City Hall walked off the job last
month, leaving behind unsightly scaffolding, holes in the roof and
outraged city leaders.
City officials said workers from the Anderson White contracting
company simply didn’t show up for work July 1 and have been ducking
any contact with the city since. Bill Morris, Costa Mesa’s director
of public services, said the city has tried unsuccessfully to reach
representatives from the Alhambra-based company.
Anderson White officials could not be reached for comment.
The project, which was already a year behind schedule, is about
90% complete, Morris said, and is only lacking in cosmetic aspects
such as the painting and patching of holes.
The structural seismic upgrades, designed to fortify city
headquarters in the event of a major earthquake, are complete, he
said.
“That’s the good news,” Morris said. “If we had an earthquake
right now, we’d be in pretty good shape.”
Councilman Gary Monahan said he was not shocked by the
unprofessional behavior, given the contractor’s performance and work
ethic during construction.
“This thing has been a nightmare from the start,” Monahan said.
“It’s been an ongoing fight, and I’m not surprised we are about to be
in a very long legal dispute with them.”
The City Council awarded a $2.8-million contract to Anderson White
in November 2000 for the seismic retrofitting of City Hall and an
additional off-site building. Construction began in January 2001 and
was scheduled to be complete in August 2001. Anderson White had
constant problems performing the work on time and meeting its own
schedules, Morris said.
Morris speculated the company abandoned the project because of
financial difficulties but has not been able to reach company
officials via phone or mail.
“My guess is their offices are closed and the phones are
disconnected,” Morris said.
Mayor Linda Dixon said she is anxious to get the project finished
and get back to business as usual at city headquarters.
“I think the building has been in disarray for a long time and
staff needs to do whatever is necessary to get the project
completed,” Dixon said.
Morris said city officials have notified the bonding company --
which is hired at the outset of a project such as this to ensure it
is completed -- that it is required to take over. The bond company is
taking bids for the project from contractors, Morris said, but if a
new team is not hired within the month, the city may be forced to
step in.
The most favorable scenario, at least financially, is to have the
bond company complete the retrofitting without any additional cost to
the city, Morris said. If the city were forced to take over the
project, it would have to hire a contractor upfront and then sue
Anderson White for the additional costs.
Morris guessed there was a “good three months” of construction
left once a contractor is hired. He lamented the continued hassle to
the public, given that the front entrance to City Hall is closed, the
landscaping is torn up, and the overall appearance of the building is
unsightly.
“We here at City Hall really apologize to the public for the
inconvenience, but bear with us because we are trying to make the
best of it,” Morris said.
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