University Daily Kansan
County plans to fine river bridge contractor
By BILL HIGGINS
Staff Reporter
At least $42,000 in liquidated damages will be assessed against the contractor for the Kansas River bridge if the company stays on its schedule, according to the Douglas County public works director.
Liquidated damages are the specific amount of money a company agrees to pay for the loss or damage.
The company asked the county for 50 additional working days to make up for delays in processing payments.
county has denied the request and plans to fine the contractor.
On April 12, 1976, the county gave the contractor, Anderson Construction Company, Holton, 500 working days to complete the construction of the twospan Kansas River bridge and the demolition of the 61-year-old bridge at Massachusetts Street.
THE CONTRACT between Douglas County and Anderson Construction stipulated that Anderson would be liable for $420 in liquidated damages for each calendar day that the bridge remained incomplete after the 500 working day limit.
Last January, Anderson requested more
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—About 150 patients of a methadone clinic affiliated with the University of Kansas Medical Center will have to go elsewhere for treatment if Med Center officials do not find a new home for the clinic by January.
The clinic, which is now in a small house on the edge of the Med Center campus, must be moved to make room for a parking garage for the new Bell Memorial Hospital.
David Waxman, executive vice chancellor for the Med Center, said last week that he is now seeking an adjunct physician, were looking at a possible site, but he declined to say anything specific about the clinic.
Parking garage ousts drug treatment clinic
A director of a similar clinic in Kansas City, Moe., offered to lease space in his building to the Med Center, but McKenally offered the clinic to be closer to the Med Center.
Waxman said, "Our doctors feel it should be close by, and we have to accept their advice."
"We haven't had any offers of houses from people in the community. But we'll solve the problem, and we're not worried about solving it."
time, citing a harsh winter in 1977 and late steel deliveries.
McKnelly said he was not as worried
out the County Commission followed the advice of its legal counsel, Daniel Young.
Young said granting the request at that time could have complicated the collection of liquidated damages if the bridge was not finished by the deadline.
Several other requests for more time have since been denied.
"I have every reason to believe that an effort is being made to find a new location," he said. "The way things have been going, it looks like it will be worked out."
about the relocation now as he was when he first found out the clinic had to be moved.
He also declined to be specific about the site he and Waxman had been considering.
In June, the county asked Anderson for a work schedule that would show the approximate time needed to complete the bridge and the demolition of the old Bridge.
"We told the state that we required a period of 60-00 days for design," he said, "so it looks like it will be around the first of the year before there is any work at the site."
The garage will be built by a "design-build" method, which means the company that designs the building also will build it. Greer said his company was scheduled to design the garage this month but was waiting for approval by the state of Kansas.
In the meantime, the methadone clinic is continuing normal operation.
McKenally said, "The issue is on ice and in limb. All I can say is 'it's our business.'"
IN AUGUST, after receiving no reply, the county again asked Anderson for a work permit.
"It all depends on whether they recognize the additional days that should be allowed for changes in the working conditions," said Pauline Scully, an operations manager, weeks, we have made additional requests for extensions because of changes in the work environment. "The total of $0 or more additional working days
Mike Dooley, director of Douglas County public works and county engineer, said the extra days shown on the work schedule would cost Anderson at least $42,000 in damages because the damages would be incurred on the same day after the 500-workday limit passed.
On Oct. 24, the county received the requested work schedule, which showed that, as of Oct. 2, the company would need 180 days to complete the bridge.
"We've run into problems in the geological conditions of the river bed that we don't know about."
Between Oct. 2 and Oct. 28, the county charged 10 working days to Anderson, leaving 64 working days to complete the brief. However the company rebuffed.
"I've never encountered this situation before. We are totally confused because we can't get any kind of reasonable answer from the county.
BUT RON ANDERSON, vice president of Anderson Construction, says that the county will be required to make a
that, as of Oct. 28, 150 working days would be needed.
"IN CONSTRUCTION jobs of this kind when you're working in a river—actually in any construction job—changes in working conditions always a sufficient reason for an extension.
requests are legitimate, but their attorney seems to be bent on going to court.
"If they don't grant the necessary time, there's no way to finish the bridge in the time needed."
"They simply deny every request. These
Dooley, however, said the county had granted extra time for problems with the district.
"That's why we only charged Anderson for 10 workdays in October," he said.
Dooley said the county had every intention of charging the liquidated damages to the county for the failure.
Anderson said that even more time might be needed than was shown on the work desk.
"WE HAVE two more pier holes in front of us and it's hard to say what we'll find. The work schedule is accurate only if we enlarge the conditions, which almost never happens.
"The work progress schedule will be very speculative until we're out of the river."
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