Committee approves $583,668 contingency increase after severe water damage found at Norwalk Community Recreation Center

The Land Use and Building Management Committee on May 5 authorized a $583,668 increase to Newfield Construction Group LLC’s contract contingency for the Norwalk Community Recreation Center to cover costs related to water damage in exterior building walls.

Joanne (staff member) told the committee that structural engineers, architects and environmental specialists inspected the site after the damage was discovered and that revised plans and repair work are under way. She described metal brackets that connect brick to studs as “all rusted out” and said masons were repairing and securing the affected wall assemblies.

Joanne said the damage was concealed behind interior sheeting and could not be seen from the outside; she said engineers and masons have been moving quickly and the contractor has adjusted the schedule so other work can continue. “All the structural engineers have signed off and ... worked with the masons on the whole repair process,” Joanne said.

Committee member Greg Burnett asked about the level of criticality and whether other parts of the building are affected. Joanne replied that mold in other areas had been addressed and that the back wall was the primary concern; corner repointing and resecuring work is also underway.

Darren Callahan (staff member) provided historical context: the building was once in the possession of a community center operator and was out of city maintenance for years, which the city staff said contributed to deferred maintenance behind the wall assemblies.

Officials said the contingency increase will allow Alan Lowe, Director of Building Management, to approve necessary change orders as the repairs proceed. The item passed unanimously.

The packet and discussion indicated the special appropriation language did not explicitly include this contingency at the earlier special appropriation step; staff said the appropriation will move through Finance and Claims after Common Council action.

Next steps: increase the contingency, allow the construction manager to issue change orders within the approved amount, and process the special appropriation through Finance and Claims as needed.