The city-parish is withholding as much as $345,000 from WHLC Architecture as the investigation into a structural design failure at the downtown library unfolds.
A team of engineers is investigating the cause of a structural incident that occurred in April, when contractors discovered two welded joints on a critical support beam had separated, a mishap that contractor Bouquet & Leblanc blamed on faulty design.
Until the investigation is completed by outside consultant Exponent, Parish Attorney Lea Anne Batson says the city-parish is withholding payments on the final invoices sent by WHLC Architecture, which designed the project.
“We have no plans to go to litigation, but we recognize that is a strong possibility,” Batson tells Daily Report. “It’s about whether or not we can come to an agreement before having to go to litigation.”
The library, officially known as the River Center Branch Library, is the only contract the city-parish has with WHLC Architecture, which is partnering with Boston-based Schwartz/Silver Architects on the project. The remaining balance on the three-and-a-half-year contract signed in 2012 is $345,700.
The only invoice the city-parish has not yet paid is from May, Batson says.
