“We think it’s the first step of many for taxpayers to recover damages due to construction problems in the library’s garage,” said library CEO Linda Mielke. “We feel very good about this first mediation.”
Woollen Molzan President Kevin Huse told the Star that the agreement, which indemnifies the firm against liability, will allow it to move on to other business and help the library complete the project, now targeted for late 2007.
The IMCPL construction project is two years behind schedule, $50 million over budget, and mired in litigation since 2004 when dangerous construction flaws were discovered. The library is still pursuing lawsuits against other contractors, including the joint venture group handling construction management, a structural engineering firm, and a steel inspection company.
Posted October 6, 2006.