Monday, September 06, 1999
Overdue, city plans new park dedication
2nd contractor fixing numerous structural problems
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
TAYLOR MILL — Supporters of the city's first park, originally scheduled to open last December, now hope a new contractor will help them open Taylor Mill Pride Park by the end of October.
“We plan to dedicate the park this fall, as long as the weather holds,” City Administrator Jill Cain said.
Pride Park is on a 68-acre site on Taylor Mill Road, about 4 miles south of Interstate 275 near Carol Drive.
A new contractor
In April, Taylor Mill City Council voted to remove House Construction Services of Cincinnati as the general contractor for the park project, after city officials were unable to come to terms on how to deal with a list of deficiencies identified by the project architect. Taylor Mill has withheld the final $67,000 payment of House's $220,000 contract.
For the past month, new contractor Stan Petrovic has had crews working eight hours a day, five days a week to correct problems that city officials say were caused by the previous contractor.
“We have determined that there are some problems in the park, and we are addressing those now,” said City Attorney Frank Wichmann. Mr. Wichmann said that city officials are waiting to see how much the work costs before deciding their next step.
“We'll see if it costs more than what was withheld from House,” Mr. Wichmann said. "If it's a little bit more, that's one thing. If it's a whole lot more, that's something else.”
To ensure that the new contractor's work is done to specifications, City Engineer David Estes has been making daily unannounced visits to the work site.
Crumbling sidewalks
The dispute is over an 8-acre portion in the front end of the project. City officials have said that sidewalks weren't in the proper location; a spongy safety surface under the playground equipment wasn't the required thickness and was improperly installed; and some land was improperly graded, causing drainage problems.
“The sidewalks literally crumbled under our feet as we walked on them,” Mr. Estes said.
Other problems include a parking lot that was built 4 or 5 feet short of specifications, and an 1,800-foot hiking trail that is crumbling and has lengthy cracks in it.
“The blacktop is not 6 months old, and there are huge cracks down the middle,” Mr. Estes said last week. To show how it is crumbling, he dug out chunks of it with a key from his pocket.
Crews also will have to reset the concrete where a tether-ball pole is anchored.
Starting over
Recently, Mr. Petrovic's crews have been bulldozing the defective sidewalks, laying drainage pipe, and preparing to regrade the area.
“The contractor is essentially bulldozing it and starting over,” Mr. Estes said.
Phone calls to representatives of House Construction Services were not returned.
When finished, the park's initial phase will include a playground, part of a walking trail, 30 parking spaces, picnic tables, benches and trash cans.
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