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Public Works outlines causes of Fire Station 35 cost overruns as unions and fire department press for accountability
Summary
Public Works told the Fire Commission that regulatory mitigation, unexpected steel tariffs and protracted PG&E redesigns drove millions in change orders on the Pier 22½ Station 35 project; union leaders and department officials said late change orders have shifted bond money from other station repairs.
Public Works on Thursday defended a years‑long, technically complex delivery of Fireboat Station 35 at Pier 22½ while acknowledging a string of late change orders and schedule delays that together added millions to the project budget.
The interim Public Works director, Carla Short, and project manager Magdalena Ryer told the San Francisco Fire Commission that a design‑build contract with Swinerton Power was awarded after a two‑stage procurement and that the project’s budget was increased over time to address external requirements. Ryer said several "extraordinary" impacts — mitigation measures imposed by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, tariffs on steel used for a float fabricated overseas, and a redesign of primary power requested by PG&E — contributed the largest increases.
"The largest impact on the project budget was the former president's steel tariffs," Ryer said, describing the tariffs as unforeseen and unavoidable. She also said…
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