Construction issues delay child-care center
Staff writer
After a series of construction issues delayed ribbon-cutting for about a month, Hillsboro Community Child Care Center is set to open Monday.
Some construction and communication problems continue to linger, however.
A total of $3.2 million was budgeted to remodel the former Trinity Mennonite Church at 211 S Elm St. into the new center.
The money came from donations and grants, including a $600,000 community development block grant and a $950,000 child care aware grant.
About $2.7 million went to Wiens and Company Construction, the general contractor responsible for renovating the building.
But problems arose early in June after what were described by center chair Tristen Cope as “drainage complications” caused water to pool in the basement.
Cope sent a written statement to the Record but did not respond to requests for an interview.
City administrator Matt Stiles said concrete in front of the building hadn’t set correctly and allowed water in.
“It pooled in one area, and it was maybe an inch deep,” city inspector Ben Steketee said. “It was only a small fraction of the basement.”
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning pads on the west side of the building also were installed poorly, Stiles said.
“Those were draining incorrectly,” Stiles said.
Mayor Lou Thurston and council member Ronald Wilkins criticized Wiens’ work at a July 15 meeting of Hillsboro City Council.
“This is about children, this is about families, and this is about employees at this facility,” Thurston said. “Those are the people who have been let down by their performance.”
Wilkins added that complaints made to the company had “just been brushed off.”
Drainage issues required corrections to meet safety standards from Kansas Department of Health and Environment before the building could be properly licensed for child care.
The city council and the board of the center set July 18 as a deadline for Wiens to complete outstanding work.
Bryant Wiens, vice president of Wiens and Co., said on July 23 that the company had completed the work, which included replacing some concrete and adding more caulking.
“We had to redo some concrete and seal the building up a little better,” Wiens said. “Issues aren’t fun, but Wiens and Company has stepped up, and we have fixed all those issues. … I think the city is pleased with our fixes.”
Both Steketee and Stiles said that while most issues were fixed, more remained to be done.
“They still have a few things to do,” Steketee said. “They were going to call me to inspect that work, to make sure it’s been done correctly, and I have not gotten the call yet.”
Notably, Steketee said water again flowed into the basement after last week’s rain.
“We tested it the best we could with the fire apparatus, tried to simulate a driving rain against the basement wall where it met the concrete, and we didn’t see one small leak,” Steketee said. “But two days later, we had a big rainstorm, and there was water in the basement. So clearly the basement is not water tight.”
Wiens and Co. project manager Doug Anderson said his team worked on the leaks after the rain.
“We were there taking care of some little stuff all last week,” Anderson said.
With the child care center set to open next week, Steketee said neither Wiens and Co. nor the center board had called him to inspect the latest work.
“Maybe they’re satisfied with Wiens and Company’s resolutions,” he said.
In his opinion, the building should be inspected once more before it opens.
“Things got done without my inspections, and some of those things are the problems we’re having now,” he said.