Exterior walls to be demolished, replaced; mold found in insulation

Peachtree City officials are recommending that all of the exterior walls at the city’s police station be replaced instead of scrapping the building altogether.

Doing so comes with an estimated cost of $720,000, is not included in the current $593,000 project, which includes the replacement and rehabbing of the HVAC system, applying a water vapor sealant to the foundation and expansion of the evidence room.

Building a new facility, while costing an estimated $6.5 to $7.6 million, would also further delay having a permanent home for the police department until Jan. 1, 2010, according to City Engineer David Borkowski.

In addition to replacing the exterior walls, the new proposed rehab project would also involve re-grading the site so the slope of the land will divert water away from the foundation.

Because several council members expressed heartburn with the situation at a workshop meeting Wednesday night, city staff was directed to look at commercial sites in town that the city could renovate into a new police station. City Manager Bernie McMullen said because of the special needs of the department for features such as secure evidence rooms, holding cells and the like, it may be hard to find such a property available for purchase in the city.

McMullen said it could take about $2 million to retrofit an existing commercial building for the police department’s needs.

Police Capt. Stan Pye suggested the department could remain in its current location, which it is currently renting, near the intersection of Aberdeen Parkway and Commerce Drive. It is not immediately known if the landlord would consider selling the space to the city or not.

It was during the current building rehab work that the police station’s interior walls were demolished, revealing that mold has infiltrated the insulation lining the exterior walls. That, according to the city’s architectural consulting firm, shows that moisture-laden air entered the building at the base of the exterior walls, officials said.

A representative of the city’s consulting architecture firm, Leo A. Daly, said the problems can certainly be remedied.

McMullen said he attributed the various problems with the building to two main categories: poor construction workmanship and lack of architectural oversight.

City Attorney Ted Meeker has previously told council that the statute of limitations has expired on any potential lawsuit that could have been filed against the building’s initial architect, Don Cobb and Associates of Peachtree City, and the general contractor, Leslie Construction of Fayetteville.

The facility first opened in May 2001 and officials have criticized the lack of workmanship and lack of supervision on the project as the main reason leading to the problems.

City Finance Director Paul Salvatore said its very likely that the city could change its current financing for the ongoing rehab project to cover the increased cost of removing and replacing the exterior walls. Doing so would cost the city’s financing payments by $64,000 a year for the entire 15-year length of the loan, McMullen said. Currently the city is paying $71,000 a year for the remainder of the loan, so the new figures would make the annual payments a total of $135,000 a year.

If council acts quickly on the matter, it’s possible the exterior renovation can be completed in time for police to move back into the department by October,

Should the city decide to abandon the police station and try to sell it, several problems will crop up. First, the city would have to pay off its current loan for the police station, which would cost $1.6 million, because the loan conditions require the building to be used for a critical city purpose, Salvatore said.

The facility could not be used for recreation, for example, but it could be used for public works, for example, officials said.

Salvatore said if council should choose to sell the building, the money to pay off the current loan could come from the city’s cash reserve. McMullen said it’s unlikely that the facility could be sold for close to the outstanding amount owed because the problems with the site have been well-publicized.

Several council members expressed trepidation about moving ahead with a rehab of the facility. Don Haddix in particular questioned why in a drought water would be discovered in an underground monitoring well on the site.

“There is no guarantee this is the end,” of the problems with the facility, said Councilman Doug Sturbaum.

Borkowski said there has been no evidence of water directly entering the building. Instead city officials are blaming the wall problems and other deficiencies for allowing in water vapor.

City Engineer David Borkowski said there has been no evidence to show that there is trash or other debris under the building. However, based on satellite photos that show a disturbed area on the parcel indicate that the dumping area on the site was located off the edge of the police department’s rear parking lot area. That grassy area is currently used by the department for its SWAT obstacle and training course.