THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701180433
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: 73 lines
Currituck County officials have fired the general contractor of a new high school that is still not finished six months after it was scheduled to open its doors.
The county's Board of Education and Board of Commissioners, joint owners in the $16 million project, voted Wednesday night to terminate their contract with Trafalgar House Construction Inc.
The company, which recently was bought by Kvaerner Construction of Tampa, Fla., was notified of the termination Wednesday night after the two boards' unanimous votes at the Department of Social Services meeting room.
The president and chief executive officer of Kvaerner, Domenic Macaione, said he would rather not discuss the issue until he has met with on-the-site employees.
Other prime contractors - namely those involved in plumbing, mechanical and electrical work - are not part of the contract termination.
``This action was not taken lightly and was a last resort,'' County Manager Bill Richardson said after a two-hour meeting.
Most of the session was closed to the public and involved discussions among both county boards and people involved with the project.
During the brief open session that followed, project architect C. Michael Ross of Virginia Beach read aloud a letter outlining the reasons for the termination, which takes effect Jan. 22.
Ross cited six factors that he said demonstrate Trafalgar House's ``repeated and unjustified failure to perform as required by the terms of the contract.''
He said they include the general contractor's failure to:
Supply enough skilled workers or proper materials, resulting in substantial delays and unsatisfactory work.
Complete the project as specified and deliver conforming work.
Schedule and coordinate the work of the other prime contractors and Trafalgar's subcontractors. Of five subcontractors, only one had completed work on time.
Finish the project on time.
Install materials and equipment according to the contract.
Correct work that was incorrectly or improperly installed or performed. Discrepancy values are approaching $500,000, according to a news release.
The move to cancel a contract at this stage in the building process ``is unusual,'' the architect said after the meeting.
Although the move may be unconventional, it also is necessary, officials said. Projections from ``continued slippage'' seemed to indicate that the building possibly would not be ready for occupancy before the 1997-98 school year, they said.
The new high school was due to be completed last August. After initial delays, many of them weather-related, the moving date was pushed back to November or December.
The project is about two-thirds done, with work having slowed substantially during the past two months, officials said.
Members of both boards said their decision to terminate the contract was based on recommendations by adminstrators; Ross, the project architect; Skip Sanders, the director of school facilities planning; and school system attorneys.
All were present during Wednesday's meeting.
An investigator also may be brought in to decide claims of defective work that must be replaced.
In the meantime, Richardson and Schools Superintendent Ronnie Capps were both told to negotiate for a temporary contractor to keep construction rolling until the ``surety'' of the project, American Home Assurance Company of New York, takes over the project. The bonding company can bring in another firm to finish the job.
Ross said after the meeting that four companies already have expressed an interest in being the interim contractors.
``We hope not to have to hire a temporary contractor. We hope to have the surety take over as soon as the contract is terminated,'' said Rod Malone, an attorney with Tharrington Smith of Raleigh.