100 Percent New Panels at Station

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100 Percent New Panels at Station

Friday, May 12, 2006

By Munson

The Gilroy Dispatch

CA.

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/contentview.asp?c=185513

Gilroy - Industrial hygienists have ordered nearly 100 percent of

the exterior sheet rock panels of the new C.J. Laizure Police

Station be replaced after discovering mold and water damage was

discovered last week. The replacement process should not further

delay construction, but will ensure that all of the panels are mold

free, city officials said.

" That we're not going to accept one spore of mold is our policy, "

said City Administrator Jay Baksa. " The contractor is taking a

responsible stance to solve that problem. "

City officials blame the problem on an unfinished rooftop, heavy

rainfall this winter and sheet rock that lay unprotected during

Christmas break, which combined to cause moldy conditions at the

48,900-square-foot, $26.2 million facility. They argue Amoroso

Construction did not fully protect its work from the rain even

though it is required in the contract.

When mold was discovered in early January, city officials contacted

industrial hygienists and environmental engineers to ensure that the

site is safe for employees.

" That's why we have industrial hygienists at the site. So that when

in doubt, it's coming out, " said Bill Headley, the city's facilities

and parks manager. " We have several layers of eyes on this. "

The discovery pushed back the completion date two months to November

while mold tests were conducted and repairs ordered.

A report from the engineering firm Innovative Technical Solutions,

Inc., which performed three mold tests in March, recommended that

any wallboard impacted by mold be replaced and remediation performed

on plastered walls that did not exhibit mold growth.

That order has been increased to all panels on all four walls, said

Assistant Police Chief Lanny Brown, co-construction manager for the

project.

The north wall was hit the hardest and immediately replaced

entirely. Initially it appeared just portions of the other three

walls were affected.

" But they got in there and found that the integrity of the sheet

rock didn't hold its rigidity. There's areas that you really don't

know (are moldy) until you're out there doing the work, " Brown

said. " It got to the point where so much was torn off that it made

sense to take it all off. If it's been compromised by the water,

it's got to go. "

The sheet rock is being replaced with a more waterproof material.

According to Brown, replacing the panels will probably take another

two to three weeks. But the process has not halted construction

inside the building. A crew of about 17 workers are replacing the

panels while plastic sheets have been placed on the inside to allow

others to continue working, he said.

After all damaged panels are replaced, areas where there are no

organic compounds for mold to feed on will be wiped down with

disinfectant solutions.

City officials say they will not foot the bill for the removal

because the situation could have been avoided if contractor SJ

Amoroso Construction had protected its work from the rain.

" It's a work protection issue, " Headley said.

A $100,000 mistake installing the roof was discovered in late

October. Construction was delayed by a month after inspectors said a

quarter of the roof needed to be fixed because it was incorrectly

installed.

According to Headley, leaks around the perimeter from the unfinished

portions of the roof and failure to properly seal the walls before

construction workers left for Christmas break, caused a perfect

environment for mold to grow once winter storms struck.

The city has set a hard line with the clean up and does not believe

it should incur the cost, Brown said. The cost for repairing the

water damaged panels is currently unknown.

" At this point, we're not paying for it because our position is

protect your work. We're not asking for a bill, " Brown said.

Amoroso officials could argue that a portion of the cost be split.

However, at this point, they have cooperated with the city's

requests.

Amoroso officials have declined to comment on the issue.

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Munson

Munson covers crime and courts for The Dispatch . Reach her

at (408) 847-7158 or at kmunson@....