Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 6, 1991 TAG: 9102060227
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG HIGHER EDUCATION WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
In a suit filed this week in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Tech accused VVKR Inc. of breaching its contract by designing a building that contained errors. The company went out of business halfway through the $2.9 million project.
Construction of the G. Burke Johnston student auxiliary center was set back months, Tech lost revenues and officials have had to pay additional costs for architectural and engineering services, according to the suit.
"The defendants breached their contract with VPI by providing drawings that contain numerous design and drafting errors and design omissions and by rendering a defective foundation plan," the suit says.
It also charged the architects with rendering defective specifications and failing to properly administer the construction contract.
The Johnston center - behind Burruss Hall and across campus from Squires Student Center - has three classrooms, a snack bar, a satellite bookstore and student study areas.
The construction was part of a two-part project, which included refurbishing Squires. Both projects are being funded by student fees.
"The monies at stake here are student monies," said David Nutter, university spokesman. "We are going to be aggressive in our efforts to go after this money and return it to students."
If the university does not recover the $900,000, additional funding would have to come out of student fees, he said.
Officials had hoped to open the Johnston center last summer, Nutter said, but construction shut down for about four months and the opening was delayed until fall.
Note: This story also ran on NRV1 in the Current section of the New River Valley edition.
by CNB