The city of Warsaw appears to have resolved a dispute over shoddy construction of trim on the exterior of city hall that was originally installed during renovations about five years ago.
The city filed a breach of contract suit against Harold McComb & Son Inc., Fort Wayne, after officials realized trim work that was falling apart did not include a material that was specifically required for the project, according to city attorney Mike Valentine.
The city filed suit against McComb, but that company blamed J.P. Phillips Inc., a sub-contractor from Chicago, which did the original work.
The city was able to reach an agreement with Phillips to make repairs.
Phillips recently completed repairs, using the proper material, a type of covering, which Valentine described as standard for such projects.
The work was recently inspected by city officials to their satisfaction. On Friday, the city Board of Works and Public Safety approved tentative plans to drop the suit.
The city incurred no expenses for the repairs, Valentine said.
He estimated the repairs probably cost around $65,000 to $75,000.
Board member George Clemens applauded the effort by Valentine.
“The city basically avoided litigation by settling this thing. He did a great job,” Clemens said.
In a somewhat related issue, city officials are investigating the extent of problems with the overhangs that extend over three entrances of city hall. Instead of having rainwater properly run off the overhangs, water is pudding on the overhangs.
The city is still assessing what can be done to resolve the problem. Valentine noted that it had nothing to do with companies involved with the trim work.
