Minor hitches don’t put project off-track
With windows and doors moving into place, the new Ocean View Police Department building is rapidly coming together.
At Monday’s Public Safety Building Progress Meeting, Rebecca Howe, project manager with Willow Construction, assured, “We’re tracking right where we need to be. We have a few days left with miscellaneous rough carpentry, and we’re starting the MEP [mechanical, electrical, plumbing] rough-ins.”
The construction progress raised the eyebrows of the URS building inspector upon his observation of the site in the prior week. “He raved about the progress,” said URS Corp.’s Ted Patten. “He was very pleased with the construction.”
“Everything’s coming together,” added project coordinator Steve Frischkorn. “We’ve done 50 percent of the roofing, which should be pretty much done by the end of the week. Eighty percent of the duct work is in, too. Plumbing is borderline ready for inspection.”
Frischkorn noted that, over the next few weeks, the new police department will see exterior columns out front and siding starting to go up. “It’s going to get a finished look more and more,” he said.
Construction at the new police building has seen its speed bumps in the last months, though.
An ongoing concern has been the transfer of the police department’s current telephone plan and lines with Verizon, plus an additional line. Verizon has insisted that a new plan is to be implemented — one charging the town of Ocean View for local calls. The phone company also recently changed their contact, aggravating the situation.
“We’re still in the mix of trying to figure this all out,” said Patten.
A recent observation shows that plans for the sprinkler system inside the building may need more construction. On the engineering drawing, Tidewater Utility’s approved plan showed water lines to be installed measuring 4 inches. According to the fire marshal, who holds strong authority in the construction of such systems, the lines need to be 6 inches for proper safety measures.
Tidewater has previously claimed that the fire marshal had signed off for approval on their calculations, but they have yet to provide an authorized document indicating that. Mayor Gary Meredith said he plan to speak with Tidewater and clarify the situation.
“We’re still trying to work this all out,” said Meredith. “It might be something that can be easily fixed and not worried about.”
Overall, however, these factors play a minor role in the rate of construction at the new building. Members of the Progress Committee said they are very pleased with the way the building is coming together, and completion is still set for mid-June.
The committee’s next meeting will be held on Feb. 5, at 10 a.m. in the construction trailer located at the site.