Construction monitor: defective Barclays Center facade bolts were still in place in January, despite report that "final batch" was being replaced in December

Kamis, 07 Maret 2013

Construction monitor: defective Barclays Center facade bolts were still in place in January, despite report that "final batch" was being replaced in December

The Barclays Center is finished, right, as punch list work was supposed to cease 2/28/13.

But you wouldn't tell by the oddly delayed release of the latest Site Observation Report by Merritt & Harris, the construction monitor for the arena bond trustee. The report, dated 1/31/13 and based on a site visit 1/2/13 and documents received 1/22/13, was released yesterday.

What about the bolts?

Notably, while the New York Times reported 1/2/13 that "[w]orkers in December were replacing the final batch" of defective bolts, that apparently was not accomplished by the time of publication.

As indicated in a 1/9/13 report by an arena consultant summarized at right by Merritt & Harris, there were multiple areas where curtain wall coping installation was incomplete, and "multiple locations... where the one or more [inadequate] 307A bolts had not [been] replaced."

According to the summary, "These locations were discussed" with the facade installer "and marked with a highly visible tape" in a prelude to replacement by 1/11/13.

Presumably that has been accomplished, but the Merritt & Harris report--though it was based on documents received later in January--does not indicate whether the work was done.

Below, a summary of the markings placed on the defective bolts.