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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1989)
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA keeping mind, body, and spirit together \ptcial collrft, it mot. youth rain JIKS r attt non huff at ■ 6M-VSICA Coffee Bean of the Month French Roast s585 lb. 3.00‘/alb. 1.60 'Alb. KINKO’S MO E. 13lh • 344 7M4 Bubba's Place t Trv Our Own Homemade FRUIT COBBLER BIBBA'S BLACK 1249 ALDKR 344-1960 /0>ldP 1. RESTAURANT V £V TUESDAY NIGHT / IS PIZZA NIGHT I'cppcrom. Sausage. (Hives, Mushrooms '8.95 14” l.arjje Pizza no Substitutions 6:00 pm 'til dosing 13th & Aide 343-0681 University Photo h> Ml a Hrrlflwn The Ratcliff Architects ami Wildish Construction are currently tangled in a dispute over cost overruns in construction of the Science V building. Currently, budget increases are still within the building's contingency allowance. Construction ot Science V over budget; plan flaws, delays cited By Paul Queary Emerald Contributor Tha construction budget for the University's new Scieni e V building Inis Increased Si "> million dollars over the origi nal bid. saiil David Rowe. Uni versity planner Wildish Construction, which has the contract for the lunld additional funds when an ex pense beyond the contractor's control is im urred, Kovve said. The most common reasons for these "i hange orders'' are un avoidable contractor delays and problems brought on by faulty erchitei tural plans According to Rowe and Dan Williams. University vice presi dent for administration. ‘Basically the claim is that the drawings were not clear. Another contention is that there may have been delays beyond the control of the contractor. ’ -David Rowe ing. has submitted more than $15 million in requests for ad ditional compensation. or ■'i hange orders.'' Rowe said “As of February 1989 we have a construction budget for the building of $14,180,000.'' Rowe said Ordinarily, a construction firm contracts to hudd a build ing for a set amount or ''bid." Wildish contracted to build Science V according to plans for a bid of $13,100,000. Rowe said. In some cases, however, a construction firm may ask for Wildish is riling flaws in the plans as the i ause of a substan tial number oi the change or ders. The Ratcliff Architects, the an hitectural firm vvhi< h de signed the new s< ience com plex, has denied that flaws in the plans could have caused the problems. Williams said. The increased construction budget may cut into other parts of the science complex. Science V and Science VI are being funded by a U.S Department of Knergy grant of $33,379,()()(), which includes construction. WITH GARLIC BREAD <£Q QC TUESDAY ONLY yfciUW 5 P.M. lo 9 P.M. 2673 Willamette • 484-0996 Naxt to to* Black Format Taram Delivery Service remodeling of existing build ings. associated landscaping and utility work. Pending resolution of exist ing change order claims, the University is now holding off on some remodeling and land si aping work which is not ah solutely essential to occupation of the building. Rowe said. "We've got some things on hold," Rowe said. "The cir cumstance right now is still pretty fluid." The current budget increase is still within the contingency allowance for the building. Rowe said. However, Rowe said that if change order claims were to continue at the current rate, the building costs could exceed that contingency fund. In that event "we would de fer all the stuff that just wasn’t absolutely committed.” Rowe said. "My hope is that we won’t have to do anything like that." If the construction costs were to run over the contingency fund and actual omissions which caused the overruns could be found in the plans, the architecture firm could be liable for the costs, Williams said. The University has retained an independent consultant to determine the merit of many of the change orders, Rowe said University officials are uncer tain that all the contractor's claims are eligible for change orders, Rowe said. "Basically the claim is that the drawings were not clear," Rowe said. "Another conten tion is that there have been de lays that were beyond the con trol of the contractor. Wo are not in complete agreement with that." If the contractor’s claims were found to ineligible for compensation, then the cost of the claim would lie absorbed by the construction firm. Williams stressed that no mismanagement on the part of the University was involved in the budget increase.
