Work to correct a water drainage problem at the new Cook County YMCA will soon be under way, thanks to an agreement reached Nov. 18, 2014 by the county commissioners and the firm believed to be responsible for the faulty design.
County Attorney Molly Hicken outlined the terms of the deal she worked out with JLG Architects of Alexandria and said that while the firm was responsive, it was not willing to admit there was a flaw in the design – but it was willing to contribute to the fix.
“JLG said they designed the space with the expectation of far fewer members, and they’ve never had this problem before,” said Hicken, adding that the architects were not willing to say the proposed fix would result in “bone-dry floors or no other problems,” but they conceded it will help and are willing to invest in the repairs.
At issue is a drainage problem that creates water pooling on the locker room floors, with water flowing under the wall into the closet that adjoins the men’s locker room. The proposed solution – the second attempt at a fix – was designed with assistance from JLG, ORB Management and YMCA representatives.
The project calls for the addition of several trench drains in each of the locker rooms. Contractors will remove the existing tile between the showers and the wall where the towels hang; cut concrete floor slab for underground plumbing access; dig down to existing sanitary piping and rough in new drain pipes; set trench drains to new elevation; pour concrete with slopes to new trench drains; and install new hard tile and grout in.
The work will be done by County Plumbing & Heating of Lutsen and is expected to start by the end of the month and take about one week per bathroom to complete. In order to minimize inconvenience, the work will be done in one bathroom at a time, with the affected users of the closed area being directed to use the nearby locker rooms in the school.
The cost of the work is set at $8,370 per bathroom, for a total of $16,740. Under the terms of the agreement with the county, JLG will pay $11,000 and the county the remainder of $5,740. Commissioner Sue Hakes thanked Hicken for negotiating the deal down in favor of the county, noting that the discussion began with the cost being split evenly. Hicken said JLG knows that if the proposed repair doesn’t resolve the situation to the county board’s satisfaction, she will be in contact with them again.
There was some discussion among the board before the vote was taken.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson called JLG’s assessment of the situation “ridiculous” and said the problem was obviously a design flaw, but efforts on the part of the county to pursue litigation for the full repair cost would be too expensive. Commissioner Garry Gamble called JLG’s response “disingenuous,” noting that those involved in the construction process expected the YMCA to grow and thus the facility should have been designed for expansion and anticipation of the long-term scenario.
But Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk said she didn’t want to blame people and pointed out that when the YMCA was in the planning stages, the community was “in an uproar” and the board was being told that nobody would come. But now, she said, the facility has more than succeeded – it has “blown the records away” with 200 visitors a day, or 6,000 swipes a month, and even more requests coming in for use of the building. “We all make mistakes and assumptions…and now we have to make changes,” she said.
In other business
. Sheriff Leif Lunde was granted two requests. The first was for the purchase of a snowmobile trailer at a cost of $3,400, which will be used to create a west division of Search & Rescue. Lunde said such an endeavor has long been a goal of the department, and with the exception of the trailer the new division can be outfitted with existing equipment.
The second request was for the purchase of an ID card printer, which will be used to make plastic cards for employees and volunteers, permit to carry applicants and any other need. The cost of the printer is $4,500 and will be paid for with the surplus from the permit to carry account.
. At the request of County Engineer David Betts, the board voted to replace the Tofte grader with a new grader currently being rented by the city of Hibbing until April 2015 at a net cost of $240,700.
. Betts also reported that only one bid was received (from Allan Berglund) for snowplowing on the Irish Creek Road in the subordinate service district. Berglund’s bid asks for $700 per plowing occurrence up to 15 inches, and $900 per time for a 15-plus-inch snowfall. Those numbers are each up $300 over last year’s fees. It is expected that the new costs will translate into a $200 charge for each of the 69 property owners in the district.
. On Betts’s recommendation, the board voted to hire Joseph Pernat as a maintenance worker 2, filling the vacancy created by William Kloster’s resignation in April.
. Other recent county hires include Jesse Johnson of Schroeder as a full-time sheriff’s deputy. Johnson began as a deputy on November 1. A second Schroeder resident, Russell Wood, was hired to work as a Cook County Law Enforcement Dispatcher. He began work October 20.
Also hired in October was James Wallner for the reclassified maintenance technician position. The reclassification resulted in an increase of 59 cent per hour. The last time the position was reviewed was 2001 and there have been significant changes to the duties/responsibilities with some of the more mundane tasks eliminated, and other duties that are complex that have been added. Wallner beat out more than 40 applicants for the position
. The county will purchase six LED lighting strips at a cost of $1,890 (plus $1,000 installation) for the Hovland Town Hall as part of the ongoing upgrades begun in November 2012 using Park & Rec funds. In October the county authorized the purchase of a new refrigerator (replacing the 17-year-old one being used) for an expense of $740.
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