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Water line failure adds to Santo saga By DAVID PRESZLER Maybe they should change the Santo Community Center's name to the Snafu Center. The latest foul-up? A new $104,000 water line will cost taxpayers an extra $125,000. And the same company the city of Medford hired to do the work may get a new contract to redo it. There's also a chance the issue could allow the U.S. Navy to use the west Medford building again temporarily, city officials said. The foul-up is the latest complication in the city's two-year saga to secure the Santo Center. "I have to laugh because it's the only thing you can do," said City Councilman Curt Bennett. "We're going to have some grand celebration when all the issues are finished," said City Manager Michael Dyal. The journey appeared to be over in June when the city got the deed to the 16,000-square-foot building at 701 N. Columbus Ave. Community groups have since moved in to start using the center. The dispute over getting city ownership of the old military building was resolved by a three-way deal between the Navy, the city and the Medford School District. The Navy leased West Side School on Ross Lane from the school district to keep using it as a Naval Reserve Center. The city agreed to pay $440,000 in rent on the West Side School over 10 years and install an additional water line there. But the water line project didn't flow smoothly. The city contracted with Harold's Backhoe to install the water line, which stretches more than two miles, for $104,000. The 2-inch-diameter line was completed on schedule by Nov. 1, but failed to pass pressure tests. Harold Hurd, owner of Harold's Backhoe, said the problem wasn't the work his company did. The problem was design specifications -- particularly the type of pipe called for. "It was the wrong pipe for the job to begin with," he said. "The design was bad. We just built it as specified." Hurd said the pipe material also was too rigid and that he raised concerns about the design with city officials. The city agrees. It plans to go back and install a 3-inch line using a different type of pipe. Dyal said the city made mistakes and is responsible for getting the job done, even if it means spending an extra $125,000. He said the city did the design and believed it would work. City engineers don't regularly design such small and long water lines, said Dyal, but mistakenly thought they could handle it. "Everybody thought 2 inches would do the job," he said. Dyal said the city will hire an engineering firm to design the project and will have more checks in place to be sure it's done right. After voicing some concerns about letting Harold's do the work a second time, the City Council voted Thursday to forgo the competitive bidding process and hire the company. City staff said the company's familiarity with the project would save the city about $50,000 and speed the process. The council will take up the matter again April 20. Dyal also said the project will be put out to bid to ensure the lowest price. Though workmanship issues were raised, Hurd said city inspectors oversaw the work. If workmanship was the problem, he added, the city would be getting him to pay for redoing it. "If it was real cut-and-dried that we screwed up out there, they wouldn't have any problem coming after us," he said. "They just don't want the finger pointed at them." Cory Crebbin, the city's public works director, said a variety of factors -- from confusion between agencies to design and oversight issues -- contributed to the failure. But Harold's work may have contributed, too. "The design had some issues with it and the workmanship had some issues," he said. "There were a lot of different people at fault, including, in my opinion, the contractor." Why isn't the city going after the contractor to pay the cost of redoing the project? Time is the major factor, Dyal said, adding that the Navy's deadline has passed and the problem needs to be resolved soon. To get Harold's to pay, the city would have to prove the company was at fault and establishing that legally "could take 12 to 18 months." In a memo, Crebbin also questioned whether the bond in the contract could be used to make the company pay because of "a variety of errors or omissions by the many groups" involved. In the end, city officials said there was nothing to do but move forward and get the line done. At city cost. "People make mistakes," Bennett said. "We're all human. Ultimately, the city still gets a great deal on the Santo Center." Still, there's no getting around how unfortunate the extra cost is, he said. "There's a lot better things a $100,000 could do rather than redig a ditch." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA