You can't miss the new look of downtown Euclid. New exterior brick work and stucco panels are being installed at both Shore Center, and the Lakeshore Plaza. Once completed, the new brick facades will certainly "freshen up" what are very old and tired looking properties.
The new look is critical in competing with the recently completed Shoregate renovations in neighboring Willowick.
Storefront renovations require quite a bit of money for planning, engineering and the actual construction. In many cases, owners, especially of older properties find it difficult to finance such project.
In recognition of this, the Federal Government establish a block grant program giving communities a grant of federal tax dollars to invest in just this type of project. For any project,
the block grant usually covers 20%-40% of the total project cost.
In short, the tax payer becomes a minority owner of the storefront improvements.
The City is the guardian of the tax payer investment in any storefront project.
The city has fumbled that role at Lakeshore Plaza.
Lakeshore Plaza renovations cost about 950K. The City invested 240K in block grant money.
On top of the direct tax payer investment, the City is also committed 200K in direct money
to back the owner's loan with Cuyahoga county.
For your investment, you, the tax payer should expect the highest quality project.
What has gone up so far is anything but.
So many complaints came in regarding the quality of the work that the City was forced to retain
Kulchytsky Architects to evaluate the Lakeshore Plaza Project. In their preliminary report, they confirmed issues under three categories:
Masonry: 7 issues, including deviations from approved plans, bricks falling off, violations of
Ohio Building Code.
Flashing and Moisture Control: 4 issues including lack of flashing and poor drainage.
Sheathing/Substrate: 2 issues including deviations from approved plans; not installed to manufactures recommendations.
The new look is critical in competing with the recently completed Shoregate renovations in neighboring Willowick.
Storefront renovations require quite a bit of money for planning, engineering and the actual construction. In many cases, owners, especially of older properties find it difficult to finance such project.
In recognition of this, the Federal Government establish a block grant program giving communities a grant of federal tax dollars to invest in just this type of project. For any project,
the block grant usually covers 20%-40% of the total project cost.
In short, the tax payer becomes a minority owner of the storefront improvements.
The City is the guardian of the tax payer investment in any storefront project.
The city has fumbled that role at Lakeshore Plaza.
Lakeshore Plaza renovations cost about 950K. The City invested 240K in block grant money.
On top of the direct tax payer investment, the City is also committed 200K in direct money
to back the owner's loan with Cuyahoga county.
For your investment, you, the tax payer should expect the highest quality project.
What has gone up so far is anything but.
So many complaints came in regarding the quality of the work that the City was forced to retain
Kulchytsky Architects to evaluate the Lakeshore Plaza Project. In their preliminary report, they confirmed issues under three categories:
Masonry: 7 issues, including deviations from approved plans, bricks falling off, violations of
Ohio Building Code.
Flashing and Moisture Control: 4 issues including lack of flashing and poor drainage.
Sheathing/Substrate: 2 issues including deviations from approved plans; not installed to manufactures recommendations.
There could be more issues, but, without tearing off much of the work it is impossible to tell if other defect exist. (for the full report, please contact me for a copy)
How did this happen?
How did this happen?
For this type of project, each owner submits plans that must be approved by the City 's Architectural Review Board, and the Building Department. These become the plans of record and, can not be changed by the property owners without coming back to the City.
For decades, the City has followed the rules and standards of the Ohio Building Code. For the storefront program, we have relied on property owners to make sure work was installed per the City approved plans. This is done through the property owner hired Architect or project manager. But for both the Shore Center, and Lakeshore Plaza project, the respective ownership apparently did not hire either. This left the tax payer vulnerable to shoddy work.
Why didn't the City conduct the inspections? The City's inspections focus on items that require permits, like concrete and electrical, heating and cooling. The brick and stucco work going up in downtown Euclid requires no permit.
So, throughout the Autumn, as the brick work went up the City paid no attention to that installation which is now 85% complete. This makes little sense as the project is the brick and stucco work, and, we knew that the owners did not hire a project manager. This project is the exterior work; the City should have taken steps early on to make sure it was being installed up to code and, according to approved plans.
Instead, it took the complaints of several residents for the Administration to take action.
As the Administration admitted at the Jan 3, 2011 Council meeting, we simply have a hole in our inspection process. Under the rules of the Ohio Building Code, it is the property owner that decide how the remedy the problems found so far. Here are the three options:
For decades, the City has followed the rules and standards of the Ohio Building Code. For the storefront program, we have relied on property owners to make sure work was installed per the City approved plans. This is done through the property owner hired Architect or project manager. But for both the Shore Center, and Lakeshore Plaza project, the respective ownership apparently did not hire either. This left the tax payer vulnerable to shoddy work.
Why didn't the City conduct the inspections? The City's inspections focus on items that require permits, like concrete and electrical, heating and cooling. The brick and stucco work going up in downtown Euclid requires no permit.
So, throughout the Autumn, as the brick work went up the City paid no attention to that installation which is now 85% complete. This makes little sense as the project is the brick and stucco work, and, we knew that the owners did not hire a project manager. This project is the exterior work; the City should have taken steps early on to make sure it was being installed up to code and, according to approved plans.
Instead, it took the complaints of several residents for the Administration to take action.
As the Administration admitted at the Jan 3, 2011 Council meeting, we simply have a hole in our inspection process. Under the rules of the Ohio Building Code, it is the property owner that decide how the remedy the problems found so far. Here are the three options:
1)Bring the project up to code, and comply with approved plans.
2)Submit revised drawings.
3)Accept the work as is and forward such list to the City Building officials.
The tax payer should only accept option number #1. By the City approving plans, that is the
project that you should expect to be done. That is the only way Euclid can recover fumbling the initial inspection process.
project that you should expect to be done. That is the only way Euclid can recover fumbling the initial inspection process.
In the future, the City must have much stronger inspection role to make sure that your investment is protected.
To fix this, I have introduced to City Council a resolution so that inspections are required for any storefront project where public monies are spent.
City Council will take up this matter at the City Growth Committee meeting, March 9, 6:30pm, Euclid City Hall.
Euclid Schools seeks 6.9 Mill Operating Levy. Election - May 3rd
According to the Euclid Board of Education, without passage of the levy, millions of dollars in cuts will have to be made, across the board. The levy is in response to
a projected fall in state aid. If passed, the levy would generate 5.1 million annual for the district. If passed, this levy would replace an expiring 1.8 mill levy. For the average Euclid resident, the cost would come to under $10.00 per month. More information as it become available.
Finally, check out my new face book page for quick hits on City and general Euclid matters. The blog will continue to be for more in depth discussions on specific issues.
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I frequently walked past the Lakeshore plaza project while it was being done. I noticed work being done on many Saturdays and Sundays. This told me that work was not being done by a union company. So I presume the pay was lower. I also presume the skill of the worker was lower. Finally, if you go by the plaza today, you can find the trash left by the company. There is a pile of pallets and trash in the south west corner of the parking lot. Again, the mark of a poor contractor.
ReplyDeleteOn March 9th, City Council's City Growth Committee will meet to discuss how this happened, and, how to make sure it can not happen in the future.
ReplyDelete