The latest delay in work on the Justice Center demolition process, as hoped for by local officials, ended quickly, and work on the project by contractors resumed this past Monday, April 8–after only about a two week stoppage.
Although some additional work, that of installing a curtain and drainage system has to be completed in the meantime, the halt in the process is no where near the over year long wait for demolition of the buildings following environmental studies, which pushed back the process about 14 months.
Shortly after all the buildings were “on the ground” in the location where the new Justice Center will be located between Cross and Washington Streets in North Albany, another minor bump in the road occurred when ground water in a couple of areas were detected, causing contractors to cease work.
However, late last Tuesday morning, April 2, Clinton County Judge/Executive Ricky Craig received official notification that work on the project to make necessary repairs and continue the work would resume this past Monday.
Due to the detection of the water in the ground, as well as a possible petroleum like odor, work was stopped and companies were brought in to do a battery of tests on the water and soil–all of which came back negative for anything hazardous.
Judge Craig said after the work had halted, agencies began trying to determine where the water was coming from–a source apparently still unknown, but no water leak or water line breaks were found.
The next step was to divert the water and proceed with the project.
After the Justice Center Project Development Board (PDB) had been presented with some options on how to proceed, they chose to have a French drain, or curtain around the area and lay pipe to divert water away from the actual building site.
“Several chemical testing companies and the EPA were working to determine exactly where the groundwater was coming from,” the judge said last week.
Craig also confirmed that a $55,000 change order had been made in the project funding to pay for the installation of the retaining curtain and pipes to divert the groundwater from the building site.
There has been no set time line given as to how long it will take to repair the water problem, nor completion of the demolition phase.
The Justice Center PDB is scheduled to hold its regular meeting next Friday, April 19, and more details may be available by that time.