Plumbing, electrical, HVAC work remains undone
Plumbing, electrical, HVAC work remains undone
By John Rech
news@theeveningtimes.com
Inspection results dealt a setback to the L.R. Jackson Neighborhood center rehab project. The city earmarked $84,000 from the 2018 Community Development Block Grant Funds to bring the building up to standards. City Council members hoped to have the building open for summer activities, but those hopes seemed dashed as they heard an update on the work at the center during a special meeting.
Council ordered the center shuttered in 2014 for health and safety reasons after the building had been ransacked. City council reversed itself after inspection realties in February 2017 and said the building was safe for reopening but funding was needed to bring it up to standards. All progress stood still while the West Memphis School District considered the building and the adjacent Horton Park as the site to combine Jackson and Wonder Elementary. City Council nixed that deal last October by rejecting the final purchase offer from the school district. The funding search to rehab the beleaguered neighborhood center resumed in December and ultimately the CDBG tapped for the repairs.
“We’ve had several people look at it and they said it can be occupied, “ said Councilman Willis Mondy in December. “It does need some work done in a couple of bathrooms and parts can be cordoned off until there is a fix, but we need it open by summer.”
At that time, Budget Chairman Tracy Catt thought the price tag would be about $75,000.
To date, City Council and interested community members awaited for news about when the center would be reopened. The summer time goal may have slipped away. Community Development Coordinator Donald Blair delivered the update.
“The roof at the neighborhood center was repaired in one week and cost $32,000, but unexpected plumbing problems were discovered.
There are water leaks,” said Blair. “We turned on the water and sprung a leak.
We shut it off and won’t know the extent of the damage until we turn it back on and pressure test everything. It’s on a CDBG grant and the federal grant wont cover the plumbing, the city has to pay.”
City Council members were surprised and asked about the timeline to reopen the building.
“I had hoped it would be open for summer activities,” said Councilwoman Helen Harris. How long will it be?
“Is it usable?” asked Councilman Marco Mc-Clendon.
“No,” replied Blair.
“Doors and windows are broken the kitchen is leaking. It will take at least $400 to repair the kitchen leak. It’s been vacant and without heat. Water was standing in the pipes and we won’t know about the water until its pressurized.”
Initially the city administration continued to pay utilities on the closed building. The city kept the lights on for security and ran the heat and air conditioning for 20 months at $500 per month in the moth balled building. The decision to shut off the utilities in the neighborhood center will now cost in repairs.
Councilman Tracy Catt understood the plumbing problems might well bust the rehab budget and asked that the work be bid out step by step to make sure money would be available to foot the bill. The repair fund held a $53,000 balance after the roof repair.
“We need to follow procedures to award the bids,” said Catt. “Hopefully there won’t be any mystical unknowns. We need to repair the plumbing, the electrical, the HVAC and then see about the cosmetics and if their is additional costs.”
Discussion about the utilizing the building has not publicly moved forward since either. In December talk around the city council conference table came up about leasing the center to a good cause. Councilwoman Ramona Taylor wanted to keep the building under city control to preserve the building for the “legacy of Roberta Jackson.” Since then, city council has not discussed the use of the
