$3 Million Veterans Memorial Arena Repairs Raise More Questions

[KenFSU]

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-03-16/story/jacksonville-veterans-memorial-arena-needs-repairs

Turner Construction will spend the next three or four months making repairs to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in the wake of reports of falling masonry and structural problems, although it disagrees with the severity of the situation.

The city will not be paying for the work, city General Counsel Cindy Laquidara said, because the problems stem from “latent defects” that occurred during construction.

“I don’t know who caused the problem. I know the city of Jacksonville didn’t cause them,” Laquidara said. “We’ve already paid for it. That’s why we don’t pay again.”

The issues that need to be fixed were identified in a study by THP Limited Inc. that found "systemic deficiencies" in construction of the masonry wall that surrounds the arena, including improperly placed or inadequate ties connecting the veneer to an inner wall that gives the building structural strength.

The report concluded the masonry couldn't meet some building code standards.

The report also said capstones at the top of some walls weren't secure and that at east one ornamental "medallion" embedded in the wall was loose enough it could be moved by hand.

The report said there was enough risk that people shouldn’t be allowed to walk near the edge of the building except to come and go from events. The city has subsequently cordoned off most of the building.

But in a letter Turner sent to the city Thursday, the company said it had an independent structural engineer investigate the issues. “The conclusion from the investigations to date is that the brick veneer walls of the building are safe for arena occupants and patrons,” the letter said.

Turner was the lead company in the joint venture that served as general contractor on the project. The company did not return a message left Friday afternoon with David Reaves, the vice president who wrote the letters.

Turner appears to disagree with the cause of some of the problems: Some issues with the building, the letter said, are design or maintenance issues rather than faulty construction.

Specifically, concerns raised by the THP report about parapet capstones and stone medallions being installed in mortar rather than mechanically anchored anchored to the building wasn’t because of poor construction, Turner said.

The specifications allow for mortar, the Turner letter says, a position it says the project’s engineer of record confirmed.

The city doesn’t have a position on who is at fault on that point, Laquidara said, but just wants the issue fixed. “We don’t draft the specifications, either,” she said. “If the specifications were defective, then the company that drafted them is responsible.”

There's a much better article in the new Jacksonville Business Journal, but a subscription is required. What's doubly concerning is that the same contractor, from my understanding, is doing work on the new courthouse as well.

[Tacachale]

^Yes, they are. Honestly, though, their involvement is the least concerning thing about the Courthouse. What concerns me most with this situation isn't that there was faulty construction (as they're on the hook for fixing it), but that they're trying to shift blame for their own errors.

[KenFSU]

Is it just me, or has this become a somewhat significant problem in Jacksonville in the last ten years? Our shiny new things (the Arena, the original Friendship Fountain repairs, LED lights on the Main Street Bridge, etc.) tend to break much more quickly than they should. Sometimes they get fixed, sometimes they don't. It sounds like they're cutting quite a few corners with the courthouse, I'm terrified of what it's going to look like in ten years. I'm also really scared about what's going to happen the first time the new Friendship Fountain needs significant repair.

[mtraininjax]

Is it just me, or has this become a somewhat significant problem in Jacksonville in the last ten years? Our shiny new things (the Arena, the original Friendship Fountain repairs, LED lights on the Main Street Bridge, etc.) tend to break much more quickly than they should. Sometimes they get fixed, sometimes they don't. It sounds like they're cutting quite a few corners with the courthouse, I'm terrified of what it's going to look like in ten years. I'm also really scared about what's going to happen the first time the new Friendship Fountain needs significant repair.

Well at least the new Main Library has not been mentioned yet, perhaps I jinxed them. The new courthouse, no matter what its condition, will be 1 gazillion times improved over the existing old courthouse. Just as the new arena, even with its faults is a few gazillion times improved over the old Colliseum. Same could be said about the old Wolfson Park and newer baseball grounds. I'd even state that Everbank Field is better than the old aluminum seats of the Gator Bowl, I know that is quite a stretch.

With all the problems around town and issues, it is still waaaaay better than what we used to have as an experience.

[I-10east]

I'd even state that Everbank Field is better than the old aluminum seats of the Gator Bowl, I know that is quite a stretch.

Yeah, even though the middle of the pack EverBank Field isn't a gleaming brand new NFL stadium by no means, it's not a stretch to say it was immeasurably better than the hole-laden Gator Bowl, a stadium that wasn't NFL ready. I think that many people forget how much of a complete dump that place was.

[duvaldude08]

I'd even state that Everbank Field is better than the old aluminum seats of the Gator Bowl, I know that is quite a stretch.

.

Yeah, even though the middle of the pack EverBank Field isn't a gleaming brand new NFL stadium by no means, it's not a stretch to say it was immeasurably better than the hole-laden Gator Bowl, a stadium that wasn't NFL ready. I think that many people forget how much of a complete dump that place was.

It doesnt take much for an NFL stadium to seem outdated. When it was first built, we had one of the newest and biggest stadiums. I remember watching this game and they called it " one of the greatest stadiums in footballs." Well almost 20 years and several new stadiums later, the mighty Alltel Stadium is a distance memory

[Tacachale]

^Yes, and it's ridiculous the NFL and the other leagues can get away with calling $100 million+ that are less than 20 years old "outdated". That's the monopoly for you.

[mtraininjax]

Doesn't Jerry Jones own Cowboy Stadium? He has zillions, and Shad has a lot too. Maybe we are entering an era where the owners just build their own stadiums and manage it themselves. Pay taxes on it just like they would a corporate building and (get ready to laugh) their fair share toward road improvements?