More than three months after a structural failure was detected at the downtown library, indefinitely halting construction on the $19 million building, the city’s architect/project manager, WHLC, has proposed a solution to the problem.
But Exponent, an independent consulting firm hired by the city to oversee the months-long probe, has countered with recommendations of its own for how best to resolve the issue, prevent any future damage to the structure, and resume construction.
The two teams have been going back and forth over the details for the past two weeks or so and appear to be moving closer toward a consensus, according to city officials.
“The trick is to make sure everyone is on the same page and we agree on the best way to move forward,” says Chief Administrative Officer Darryl Gissel, who was updated on the progress earlier today by the Parish Attorney’s Office. He adds that the PAO is “optimistic they are close to agreeing on something.”
What that means in weeks or months, however, is anyone’s guess and Gissel couldn’t predict what the timeline might be. Also unclear is who will pay for the repair, which is sure to be costly. Besides WHLC and the general contractor, multiple subcontractors, suppliers, engineers and insurance companies are involved in the deal.
“All I know is it will not be us,” Gissel says.
Mayor Sharon Weston Broome has previously said neither the city nor the library board will bear the brunt of the repair.
Work crews stopped construction on the North Boulevard Town Square building in mid-April, after noticing that a faulty weld had caused structural problems on the cantilevered portion of the building.
In the months since, portable hydraulic jacks have been propping up the cantilever, making the construction site look like an industrial art installation. Gissel says though he doesn’t know many details of the repair job, it calls for securing the cantilever so that it will not need to be permanently supported by columns.
“We want the building that was designed,” he says. “That is what we are going to get.”
