Library change order OK'd
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 23, 2013 1:46 PM
A $39,185 change order has been approved by the Wayne County commissioners for additional roof work on the new Steele Memorial Library in Mount Olive.
County Facilities Director Milford Smith said the problems with the roof could not have been anticipated. They were discovered when work crews began modifying the building's roof to accommodate a new air conditioning unit.
Water apparently got under the roof's moisture barrier some time back and caused rust so the rusted pieces must be replaced, he said.
All demolition work has been completed and the rough-in stage is under way for the new library. The county awarded a $2.275 million design/build contract to Jackson Builders in October to convert the old Belk department store building into the library's new home.
The project is a good example of how well the design/build concept works, Smith said. In design/build, an architect and general contractor form a team that works under one contract with the project owner, in this case the county, providing both design and construction services.
The $2.275 million does not include $500,000 for furniture and technology. The county will work with suppliers to handle those needs later in the process, Smith said.
Work is expected to be completed in time for the library to open by mid-summer, he said.
Since most of the work is inside, weather has not been a factor, Smith said. However, the recent wet weather did cause some problems outside, he said.
Work crews are roughing in the walls and other areas of the interior. The roughing-in phase is a "fast" part of the project when the work really shows, Smith said.
"I am real pleased with the schedule for the subcontractors who got in so quickly. One thing about Jackson Builders, they bring to the table a very select group of subcontractors for them. We hit the contractors' schedules just at the right time so that they can dedicate a lot of people to it."
With most of the work being inside, it isn't readily seen, Smith said. Perhaps the most visible sign of the progress is the work being done on the entrances.
The town has installed a new drop in the building's back parking lot to handle water runoff, and the water tap is in place for the building.
The county will handle the remainder of the work on the back parking lot. The town has agreed to repave the parking lot that is located diagonally across Main Street from the building.