Subcontractors on Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters Walk Off Job Site
Payment Dispute With General Contractor Causes Delay
Eric Ayres Trending
WHEELING -- Issues surrounding the ongoing work on the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters project are currently being ironed out as multiple subcontractors recently walked off the job site.
Construction of the new $9 million facility is ongoing at the East Wheeling site, but Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron confirmed that a number of subcontractors have initiated a work stoppage. The dispute reportedly is centered around payment issues between the Cleveland-based general contractor &build -- a PCS Company and some of its subcontractors.
"Coordination between the subs and the contractor within their contract is occurring as we speak," Herron said.
The city manager said the situation is complicated, but parties involved are dealing with the issues, and things are being rectified.
Until recently, officials have noted that the construction of the new facility has been progressing on time and within budget, with a projected completion date set for the end of this year. Herron noted that the timeline for completion of the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters is a sensitive one since demolition of the Center Wheeling Parking Garage -- which presently houses the city's fire department headquarters -- is expected to proceed after the end of the year, with the anticipation that the fire station will soon be relocating to the new facility.
"The city has contract performance and payment bonds that protect us," Herron noted. "We are actively working with the surety company and contractor to go get things corrected."
So far, the general contractor has not requested an extension from the city on the completion date.
"The city hasn't discussed or approved a revised schedule," Herron said. "We are very sensitive to the schedule we put forward. It's all got to come together at the right time."
On Friday, the city began reviewing a number of bids received for the demolition of the Center Wheeling Parking Garage -- a project that will likely proceed next year at the same time demolition of the remaining buildings on the campus of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center across the street from the parking structure. Herron described the proposals as "very competitive bids" received for the work.
According to the city manager, parties intend to make sure all the pieces fall into place so the transition from the old fire headquarters to the new headquarters goes smoothly.
WVU Medicine is expected to build a new regional cancer center at the site of the former OVMC hospital, an investment that is expected to be between $70 million and $100 million. F.R. Beinke, a demolition contractor based in New Jersey, was awarded a $6.8 million contract to demolish the buildings on the OVMC campus. Asbestos abatement has already begun at the site ahead of the demolition.