By HOLLY GASKILL
Significant progress has been made on the construction of the new Highway Department building, says project manager Conor Jackson.
Construction experienced setbacks earlier this year when they encountered issues with the foundation. Jackson told the County Council on Tuesday that the matter was since resolved without issue.
Work is currently projected to finish by Feb. 5.
“Is that when you turn it over to the county or I’ll assume you’ll still have punch list items after that?” asked council member Steve Huggins.
“We strive for zero punch list (items),” Jackson replied. “I imagine that a lot of punch list items are going shake out before then, and it will be turned over to the county at that time.”
Jackson also noted that some savings in fencing and landscaping have allowed the Highway Department to begin considering adding some of their “wants” to the project.
“Through the whole exercise of creating this budget and checking it along the way, the mandate was to cut anything that was fat out of the project,” Jackson said. “We did that, but now that we’re running slightly under budget, we should be able to deliver a little bit more utility to the highway garage.”
These “wants” included some concrete paving instead of stone in the south lot of the property. “As you cycle through the seasons, (the stone) going to be a constant maintenance issue for them,” Jackson stated.
holly@news-banner.com
