# Construction to start over on $300,000 county building stair replacement



## mark handler (Aug 4, 2015)

Construction to start over on $300,000 county building stair replacement

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/3810448-construction-start-over-300000-county-building-stair-replacement

By Wade Rupard

What was once a step forward for improving entrances to the Grand Forks County Office Building has become a costly headache for county commissioners and a local contractor.

Construction on new stairs outside the building's entrances will have to essentially start over after it was discovered the stairs, which cost nearly $300,000, do not meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After the project was completed, inspectors found the steps on the stairways were too shallow and didn't meet ADA standards, which require each individual step to be at least 11 inches wide.

The steps on the completed stairs measured between 10 ½ inches and 10 ¾ inches wide, forcing crews to demolish the concrete stairs Monday.

County commissioner Gary Malm, who heads the commission's building maintenance committee, said all of the stairs in front of the building will need to be replaced because of the error.

"My understanding was that it was a measuring mistake, and the steps were installed incorrectly," he said.

Malm said he was unsure how the additional cost of repairing the stairs would be determined, and that the architect on the project and the contractor, Icon Architect Group and Industrial Contract Services respectively, were working on an agreement.

At its Dec. 2, 2014 meeting, the Grand Forks County Commission unanimously accepted Industrial Contract Services' bid for replacing stairs on the west and east side of the building. ICS was the only bidder and was awarded the project for $298,765.

The cost of the project was so high, Malm said, because it involved setting a new base for the stairs.

The project was set to be paid from the county's 2015 capital improvement budget, according to the commission's Dec. 2 meeting minutes.

According, to ICS's bid for the project, the company anticipated the stairs would be completed in 90 days, but with the delay, Malm said he doesn't know when the project will be completed.

"I thought this was supposed to be done several months ago, and it never got done," Malm said. "Now I couldn't even tell you when it might be done."

Multiple calls and emails to ICS and ICON from the Herald went unanswered Monday.


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## ADAguy (Aug 4, 2015)

Stairs? Who at the city building department approved stairs? Did it also have an elevator or ramp too?

Am I to assume that the architect's drawings were correct? If so, then GC lacked adequate supervision?

Are GC's required to be licensed in Grand Forks?


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## mark handler (Aug 4, 2015)

ADAguy said:
			
		

> Stairs? Who at the city building department approved stairs? Did it also have an elevator or ramp too? Am I to assume that the architect's drawings were correct? If so, then GC lacked adequate supervision?
> 
> Are GC's required to be licensed in Grand Forks?


The government is negotiating with the architectural firm not the contractors.  So it maybe a design issue.

I know a lot of plan checkers that do not review stamped drawings. Big mistake.


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## MASSDRIVER (Aug 4, 2015)

If his contract was for stairs, he built stairs. Maybe not correctly, but if that's his scope of work, then that's it. Maybe someone else is doing a ramp or elevator or rocket chair or something.

If there is no ADA bullcrap, that's the designer. If the contractor built stairs out of spec, that's him.

Brent.


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## Msradell (Aug 4, 2015)

Description it almost sounds like they are also out of compliance with building codes. It would be interesting to find out if they truly are.


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## MASSDRIVER (Aug 4, 2015)

Kind of interesting that there was only one bid.

Brent


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## ADAguy (Aug 5, 2015)

Possibly no requirements for competitive bidding in that county? What state is it in?


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## mark handler (Aug 5, 2015)

ADAguy said:
			
		

> Possibly no requirements for competitive bidding in that county? What state is it in?


Grand Forks County, North Dakota


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## ADAguy (Aug 6, 2015)

Not many people up there, gets dark early, etc.


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## steveray (Aug 7, 2015)

Had a set of concrete stairs at a high school where each bottom riser was off by 1/2"....Don't know if it ever got fixed.....Come to think of it, I wonder if they ever got a C of O....


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## linnrg (Aug 7, 2015)

the county website does not show a building inspection or plan review section.  I think the line where the "wild west begins" is somewhat east of there


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## mtlogcabin (Aug 7, 2015)

The city does and should have had jurisdiction over this project and probably did their job correctly

 "inspectors found the steps on the stairways were too shallow and didn't meet ADA standards, which require each individual step to be at least 11 inches wide"

http://www.grandforksgov.com/government/inspections


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## kilitact (Aug 8, 2015)

I'm surprised that the county inspector(s) didn't discover this error when they did the form inspection prior to concrete placement.


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## ICE (Aug 8, 2015)

I'm surprised that anyone is bitching about a quarter to a half inch.


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## ADAguy (Aug 10, 2015)

Ever try to get a traffic officer to reduce the speed on your tickets?

Remember the "suits" live to "split" hairs.


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