Problems not always what they seem

Tag : insulated boxes

It didn't take long for the news to make headlines, although as itturned out, it wasn't much of a story. Repairs involved replacing abracket -- a $186.44 fix.
"It didn't disrupt anything or endanger anyone," said Keith Haerer,who oversees the inmate-run kitchen that operates from 4 a.m. to6:30 p.m. and serves 1,500 meals in a typical day. "It was just abulge. No big deal."
Loton Eastman, an architect and engineer who served as the county'seyes and ears on the construction site, said many of the problemsreported at the jail are overblown.
"I think it's a good facility," he said. "There are problems withevery building project. That's only to be expected." 'It was not a fiasco'
Eastman takes particular exception to suggestions that constructioncosts swung out of control. The Intervention Center's finalpricetag was $46.4 million, higher than the $30 million estimateshared with the public in late 2000 when the county board voted toreplace the old jail.
Construction-related glitches -- or "contingencies" -- representonly a small piece of the higher costs, Eastman said.
The original construction contracts approved by the county board in2003 totaled $35,156,000. The total included late additions such as$4 million to add 65 beds for federal prisoners, which in theoryshould generate profits for the county once the initial investmentis paid off.
Eastman said change orders added $3.15 million to constructioncosts, or 9% more than the original contracts. That percentage iswell within the accepted range for a project of this scale, hesaid.
He also noted the punch list -- problems the contractors were askedto clean up before getting final payment -- ran to 3,000 items. Hepraised Liberty Mutual, the county's bonding company, for itsefforts to ensure the work was done as specified.
"I thought we did a damn good job controlling the costs," he said."It was not a fiasco. I'm damn proud of it." Inadequate insulation
Eastman and others said several construction-related issues can belinked to the Chicago office of HLM Design, the architectural firmthat designed the Intervention Center.
HLM won a $3,349,000 contract from the county in May 2002. Withinmonths, many of HLM's top people, including those overseeing theSt. Clair County project, began leaving the firm as it spiraledtoward bankruptcy. It finally did so in September 2004 whenconstruction of the new jail was still in its early stages.
One example of design-related issues involved the jail's 260prefabricated cells, which fit together much like giant Lego toys.The cells -- complete with two beds, toilet, sink, lightingfixtures, plumbing and wiring -- were manufactured in Georgia andshipped to Michigan.
Sheriff Dan Lane said the cells were not insulated well enough towithstand Michigan winters. "We had to add some insulation to theplumbing chases," he said. "We blew some insulation in there."
The sheriff said the problem rested with the architect, HLM Design,and not with Tindall Corp., the Georgia manufacturer.
"The cells were built to HLM's specs," he said. "Tindall did itsjob." Expensive snafus
HLM also was responsible for other problems, such as designing thebuilding without pull stations for the fire alarm system. CountyAdministrator Shaun Groden said it cost $118,000 to add 270 pullstations.
The county still faces a six-figure expense to solve anotherdesign-related problem. The Intervention Center has two generatorsto provide backup power during blackouts. The generators were wiredto junction boxes, Groden said, but the junction boxes go nowhere.They're not connected to cameras, doors, kitchens or otheressentials.
"To rewire the building, you would have to tear down secureceilings and bore through the walls," Groden said. "No way we'regoing to do that."
Fortunately, the architects also made another mistake -- theinstallation of two massive generators capable of powering 100% ofthe building instead of the 35% called for in the original specs.(Since most blackouts last only a few hours, designers saw noreason to provide power to nonessential areas of the building suchas the sheriff's executive offices.)
The county is in the process of connecting a junction box toDetroit Edison's main feed, which will let the generators power theentire building during a blackout. Groden declined to guess at afinal cost, although other sources said it could range from$110,000 to $185,000.
"It won't be cheap," Groden said. 'County lost no money'
County commissioners considered suing the architects to recover themoney spent on design flaws, but Groden said a lawsuit likely wouldhave been another fruitless expense given HLM's bankruptcy.Creditors with earlier claims devoured its assets.
A sampling of other design problems: The jail's cement floors were sealed with epoxy at an additionalcost of $104,554. "Don't do it and you'd have a continuingmaintenance issue," Groden said. "Every time you sweep the floor,you'd stir up cement dust." Closets used for housing telecommunications equipment lackedadequate air conditioning, which was added at extra expense. Grodensaid the equipment generates a tremendous amount of heat, whicheventually would have burned out relay switches. The floor of one garage was drawn flat, with no pitch to thedrains. Water was ponding against a block wall before the floor wasredone.
In all, the project required 44 changes orders, with some of theseencompassing dozens of repairs. Nine contracts exceeded $50,000 butwere not taken to the board of commissioners for approval, inviolation of county policy.
Groden said his predecessor, Troy Feltman, cut corners when it cameto following long-established policies and accounting practices.
"He had great ideas, cutting-edge ideas," Groden said. "Thatdoesn't absolve us from the bidding process. We're not the privatesector."
The county administrator said Feltman's failure to get boardapproval for significant expenses doesn't mean the work wasn'tjustified. He also said it's important for taxpayers to understandthat money didn't disappear into someone's pocket.
"I am convinced that if the change orders had been brought to theboard, they all would have been approved," Groden said. "The countylost no money. I can show you where every buck went." Mike Connell is a freelance writer and a former Times Heraldreporter.