Glendale officials report continued progress, schedule risk on downtown campus reinvestment project

Don Bessler, Glendale’s director of engineering, told the City Council during a Jan. 28 workshop that work at the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project (DCRP) is advancing and that the city is in its 29th monthly update on the project.

Bessler said the site currently has “about 85 full time workers” and that crews were installing exterior sheeting, vertical MEP shafts and interior framing. “The masonry’s delivered and you’re gonna start seeing the actual brickwork going up in February,” he said. He added that rooftop units had been procured under a previously approved guaranteed maximum price and would be screened for noise and aesthetics.

The update emphasized several discovered conditions that have required additional structural work. Bessler described uncovering “some failed building systems” and the need to add steel to “square up the building,” noting the original structure was not built ``plumb and square.'' He said the work “has added some time to the schedule” but that staff expects to manage the impact.

Council members asked whether the discovered drywall and acoustic damage in the council chambers resulted from a roof leak. Bessler said the specific cause “has not been investigated in its totality yet,” and staff would report back after a full investigation. He confirmed that the roof is being replaced as part of the project.

On timing, Bessler said the project remains on the schedule the council has been shown but acknowledged the steel work could affect milestone dates: “We’re still a year out from opening, and it’s too early to say that it’s affected the schedule… It may be, at this point, in the realm of 30 to 60 days, and it may end up being none of those days.” When asked directly about completion, he said the city is “still looking at the Q1 calendar quarter of 26. So it could be the end of that. When I say that, March ish, that’s still where we are today.”

Bessler also described a permanent fix to stormwater handling under the garden level/amphitheater area using a wet well and force main tied to a storm sewer installed on Glenn Drive; he framed that work as reducing flood risk compared with the building’s original sump-pump design.

City staff said long‑lead equipment had been purchased earlier with council approval to reduce supply‑chain risk and that workers will begin masonry and caisson drilling for the amphitheater in the coming weeks. Staff offered to bring additional details or follow‑up memos on investigations and schedule impacts.

The presentation ended with staff offering to answer questions and to return with follow up on the roof/drywall investigation and on any schedule changes should the team quantify delays.