KES construction lags behind schedule
From February to April and now June 2000, target dates for the completion of Kagman Elementary School have repeatedly been moved due to discrepancies on the quality of work in the project construction.
Board of Education Committee Chair for Capital Improvement Projects Anthony Pellegrino yesterday admitted that contractors are behind schedule but assured that all discrepancies have been corrected.
Pac United, contractor for the project, is well aware of the work lag and is currently getting on with the project, according to Mr. Pellegrino.
“They are going to be further behind schedule because they can’t catch up and for that they know there will be liquidated damages. . .they may be assessed,” he continued.
The Department of Public Works, the Public School System, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Guam-based architects have reportedly reviewed discrepancies in the construction of the $6 million school project.
The BOE member cited that earlier problems mainly centered on misinterpreted blue prints, oversight sloppy workmanship, and delayed procurement of materials.
“Materials do not arrive on time, contractor has problems getting laborers, it’s like growing pains but more than half of the problems have been corrected,” he said.
Difficulties being experienced by Pac United at the site are normal of any large construction company dealing with a project of this magnitude, the CIP chair said.
“It’s going smoothly but not as smoothly as we’d like,” he added.
The CIP Committee has assured the project’s completion by either late June or early July, in time for the next school year.
As last reported, the Kagman elementary school construction was more than 70 percent complete.
Safety issues have been raised by some members of the board of education, targeting leaking roofs with frail patches on some campus buildings at the Kagman site.
