The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-04-10
COMPLETION
Of CITY DAM
ENDANGERED
Amburson Company Threat
ening Halt in Work.
TO CITY COMMISSIONERS
Meeting to Be Held to Dis
cuss Situation Today,

Unle. the city commissioners give
the hn,bursen Construction company
full assurance that the city will
shoulder responsibility for meeting
future payrolls, work on the new dam
will be stopped. This ultimatum has
been delivered to Commissioner Mike
Donnelly by ). w. Stewart. IN Of
ficial OF the Ambursen firm.
On reques, OF Mr.. Donrelly. the
commissioner met this morning TO
discuss the problem. The commit
nication from Mr.. Stewart was read,
in which il was stated that the COM
; pany was facing 4 crisis in the com
pietion Of about rs feet OF piling on
the west bank Of the Canadian river.
Talks With Walton.
Mr.. Stewart said that he discussed
the matter last Saturday with Mayor
Walton but that the city executive
intimated the city will assume no
further responsibility. Mr., Stewart
said that in the event the city re-
fused TO guarantee the payrolls Tor
the completion OF the work the Am
bursen company will throw up the
Job and call upon It's bonding corr
pany to complete the work. This
move. k sets forth. would be al
tended With 4 delay Of At least six
or eight weeks. With . gap ef Is
iee4 in the pilns Mr.. Stewart sta,ep
that use saiety the whole structure
/ ~ili Be jeopardiied BY flood. shopld
tie work be delayed for two months
Mayor WALTON announced himself
~ being opposed TO dragging the
city into any greater responsibility
and that II the Ambursen COMPANY
wanted to throw up the contract for
them 10 do so According to Mayor
Walton, the bonding firm will be
fully responsible for completion OF
the dam. Walton was backed up IN
. his statements by Commissioner kes-
Ter, both Of whom have steadfastly
opposed the Ambursen firm since j,
was given the dam contract
City Nssds' $4,000.
I, wa, brough, out in. the meeting
, that when the original contract for
the dam was signed, IS percent OF the
/ iisurc-A7s,0 ,0O0-would be retained
by the city as a guarantee agains,
outstanding bills upon the completion
Of the dam. Upon the approval OF
the bonding company. oil but $500
OF the $4,000 retained has been paid
TO the Ambursen company. Mayor
Walton declared that this amount,
small a. il was, should bs retained
for protection and that he had op.
posed the payment Of any of the 49,.
0W Mayor Walton wss backed up
by kesler and City Attorney Ross
Lillard. The commissioners decided
10 send Commissioner Patterson and
Lillard 10 confer with the Ed N.
Semsns 4 company. local representa-.
tives Of the bonding compsny, to as
certain what plans the bonding CON-
pany could make TO complete the
work
Mr.. Donnelly informed the COM
missioners that in his estimation the
Arpbursen company had lost more
than $4,000 in construction OF the
dam and that Mr. Stewart claimed
the firm had lost $4,000. Mayor
Walton expressed the belief that the
Ambursen people had Lost but little
ii view Of the liberal margin al
lowed on the contract. Donnelly
then said that every contractor con-
nected with the projsct had lost
money on account Of conditions At
tributable TO the war.
I City Finances Good.
;. Donnelly pointed out that the city
sis not dangerously involved finan-
ciaily. He said that the work re-
naming on, the dam would not cost
more than $1,000 and that outstand-
ing bills would not aggregate more
than $4,000. He explained that the
Ambursen people, ~ ths time Of &C.
cep,ins the contract, deposited N0-
100 With the bonding firm to meet
iust such . contingency. With the
NN0 10 the credit Of ths city, NJ
Donnelly said that total Of NNM
d available 10 meet oil expenses
hingins upon the completion Of tho
dam In no event Ne said. would more
llnn half OF that amount be required.
0r ths grounds that the Ambufsea
lcompany had lost on the contract he
pleaded iof lenisncy, stating that !hs
company could have saved $lD,0OO
by throwisg the JOB 70 the bonding
Company Z ysaf ago
Commlssiones, Patterson vas In.
strscted 10 confer with. the Sefnsns
company sad rspost his findings this
.sftsrnoon. at the regular lneetipt Of
,k commissioners. II is. probable
shai dechion viii be reached At ih'
tVWIImA Al