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Hoover council hears progress report on Fire Station No. 1; debate over calling contractor's bond
Summary
City staff reported substantial recent progress on Fire Station No. 1 but said seven punch-list items remain; council debated calling the contractor's performance bond or allowing the contractor to finish, and staff said moving in could begin before all work is complete and a certificate of occupancy is expected by May 31.
City staff told the Hoover City Council on May 26 that Fire Station No. 1 has seen substantial recent progress — the driveway connection has been poured and the job is nearing completion — but the project did not pass its final building inspection and seven punch-list items remain.
"We had a final building inspection this past Friday. It did not quite pass. There is about seven items left on the list that needs to be done," the staff presenter reported. Staff said five of the items could be finished before Friday and that one item requiring additional concrete work and another requiring manufacturer-produced kick plates could delay final completion.
Staff said the city does not yet have a certificate of occupancy but expects to receive it "prior to that work being complete" and that the contractor indicated the work would be complete soon. Staff also said the city has permission from the building inspector to begin moving equipment into the new station before every punch-list item is finished.
Council member Smith questioned why the council should not call the contractor's performance bond given the delays. Another council member urged caution, noting that pursuing the performance bond could remove the contractor from the site, require the city to find a replacement contractor, and trigger a separate process with the bond company that would likely delay access to the station.
"If that's the direction of the council, then we'll be happy to relay that back to the contractor," the staff presenter said in response to calls for accountability, adding that if the council wanted to take formal action it could be placed on the June 8 agenda with a condition tied to the contractor's completion by May 31.
Chief-level staff described logistics for moving in: once the certificate of occupancy is issued it could take two to four weeks to organize and move equipment and about one eight-hour day to transfer communications. Staff estimated that at least six of the seven punch-list items carry no direct cost to the city; the remaining items' costs were not specified and staff said they would return with precise numbers at a later meeting.
No formal motion to call the bond passed; council members signaled they would revisit the matter if the contractor failed to meet the near-term completion timeline. The council set a hearing and potential action date of June 8 to review the status if the work is not finished by the end of the month.
