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.