Cost to repair Blair County employee parking garage to increase
Discovery of additional damage to county facility spurs $226K change order
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The cost of repairs to Blair County's employee parking garage on Mulberry Street is increasing in light of additional work.
Commissioners voted Thursday to approve a change order adding $226,305 to the general construction contract, increasing that contract's total to $2.21 million.
"They've been finding more damage than was visible," commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said Thursday as the reason behind the change order that he and fellow commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke approved.
Burke said the change order also allows for the installation of a polyurethane overlay on the upper level in an effort to prevent future damage.
Almost a year ago, commissioners closed the multi-level Mulberry Street garage after safety concerns developed in light of falling concrete. That action forced county employees into finding other parking locations.
In February, commissioners initiated repairs at the garage by awarding a general construction contract to Carl Walker Construction Co. of Pittsburgh, with the work expected to wrap up so the garage can reopen in late October.
The new concrete will need at least 29 days to cure, according to Burke, so if it's in place by September, there should be enough time for curing, barring any weather-related delays.
"We'll make every effort to get the garage reopened in October," Kessling said.
The employee parking garage, which opened in 1999, has long been a victim of water leaks and concrete deterioration associated with snow and ice treatments.
It was previously closed for several weeks in 2015 when repairs costing about $430,000 were made. At that time, it was predicted that more rehabilitation work would be needed.
In February when commissioners awarded the general construction contract to Carl Walker Construction, they also awarded related contracts for related garage repairs at $109,000 to MH Electrical LLC of Duncansville and at $53,100 to Montgomery Brothers Plumbing of Altoona.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.