An agreement for Beckering Construction to be construction manager for Barry County Courthouse improvements was derailed Tuesday, when Commissioner Jim Dull complained that Dave Beckering, despite 30 years as a contractor, missed several things in the remodeling of the former library that the county will have to pay to add or modify.

 

Commissioner Ben Geiger made the motion to approve the agreement, and would not withdraw his motion when other commissioners suggested delaying the final okay on the contract.

The contract was for Beckering to be construction manager for $47, 575, with funding to come from the Building Rehabilitation Fund.

 

The vote to approve failed, 4-2, with Commissioners Geiger and Craig Stolsonburg voting “yes,” and Commissioners Jon Smelker, Howard Gibson, Jim Dull and Vivian Conner voting “no.”

Commissioner David Jackson was absent.

 

Dull named several items in the library building he said a project manager and the architect should have seen before work went forward; a missed egress window, grating, the sign in front and," the latest thing to come to light," not hooking in an 8000 watt generator into the system for the county’s IT department in the basement.

 

Dull said the county will have to pay an electrician to hook into the system and, “it will be maxed out when it’s hooked up…an 8,000 watt generator is not enough for a house, let alone an IT system…”

 

If Beckering is given the courthouse contract as project manager,  “what else will he short us on that we don’t know about?” he asked. With the contract turned down, the issue will likely be discussed further and could be brought up at a later meeting.