During the council’s Oct. 23 workshop meeting, Nancy Mikeska, an assistant city manager and director of community development, said the delay in getting electrical service is due to design deficiencies with the building.
The gist
The $853,182 will cover the anticipated costs for the electrical equipment, installation labor and material associated with the center’s electrical service, according to a document included in the Oct. 23 workshop meeting agenda packet.
Collin Boothe, director of finance and assistant city administrator, said $700,000 of that total amount will come from interest earnings on bond funds and the remaining $153,182 will come out of the city’s general fund reserves.
“Here’s what I know—it’s a mess,” Mikeska said. “But the good news is we’re going to fix this and we’re going to finish this. The bad news is, it is going to take money and this will not be the last time that I come up here and ask you for a change order.”
Mikeska also said that due to the electrical service delay, the city is getting charged $3,200 per day by Brookstone Construction, which is building the center.
“[That cost] will go on until we get the equipment because we’re really stagnant over there right now,” Mikeska said. “We have limited things we can do without testing that [heating, ventilating, and air conditioning] system and the other systems that need to be tested. None of that has been done.”
Mikeska said the timeframe for the delivery of the electrical equipment is March.
Zooming out
The city broke ground on the Oscar Johnson Jr. Community Center in July 2023, and $35 million in funding was approved in December 2021 for the new center, according to prior reporting.
During her Oct. 23 presentation, Mikeska said the 87,000-square-foot facility will include features such as three basketball courts, event spaces, a pond and a recreation center.
Notable quote
“We have to do what’s right to get this on the ground. We owe it to our citizens. We dropped the ball all the way around," Mikeska said.
Stay tuned
The new anticipated completion date for the center is spring 2025, Mikeska said.
View the Oct. 23 agenda packet below.
