Evening star., 1953-01-07
County Heads
Shocked Over
Building Delay
Montgomery Council
Rebukes Manager
For -PIon Changes

NSOuNSS INIuHOSeI
For Plan Changes
Montgomery County Manager
Irving G.. McNayr drew sharp
rebuke from the County Coun-
Gil yesterday over continued de-
lays in construction and changes
in the design of the new county
Office building.
The Council expressed sur
prise and shock when Mr.. Nc
Nayr disclosed to them that sew
eral changes, some of them ma
jor ones, had been ordered by
him without the Councils
knowledge. He said he did not
know what additional cost they
would add to the building.
The Council gave the county
manager a verbal spanking. then
directed that all proposed
changes that might cause fur
ther delays or increase the ulti-
mate cost of the building be sub
mitted to them for approval.
Is to 18 Months Behind.
The Council met with the
county manager. Ronald S.
Senseman, architect on the
building, and representatives of
the Byrne Organization. Inc. to
iron out difficulties that have
put the building Is to 18 months
behind schedule.
The Council said it knew moth
Ing of a meeting last December
10 between Mr.. McNayr and all
department heads, at which sew
eral changes in the design of
the building were agreed upon.
Melton Bass. president of the
Byrne company, contractors on
the building, said work on the
structure was virtually at a
standstill because laborerS had
been ordered to stay out of much
of the building. pending compile
ton Of changes made at the
December meeting. He contend
ed that some So-called minor
changes in plans for location of
doors and partitions demanded
the tearing out of electrical wir-
ing and other mechanical fix
lures.
Mr.. Bass conceded his firm
had asked for a time extension
of 1853 days. but that Mr.sSense-
man had granted him only IS
days. He said AZ days requested
because of a brick shortage had
been denied.
Brick Shortage Scored.
'f The Council scored the con-
tractors for failure to have suff1-
cient bricks on hand to COM
plete the job. The brick work
was delayed several weeks be-
cause the subcontractor's supply
ran out.
Mr.. Bass and his attorney,
E. c. First of Harrisburg, Pa,
said the bricks had been on
hand. but were removed some
time during the change of sub
contractors.
Mr.. McNayr contended a
number of changes were neces-
STATED by the creation of new
county departments-such as
public safety and recreation
since the original plans were
made in 1850. He added other
departments had been increased
in size and needed more room
than was originally anticipated.
Another change decided upon
in the December meeting fol-
lowed decision that the Juve-
nile Court would have to be
housed in the new building,
rather than in the present court
house as anticipated.
Some councilmen said they
felt the building should be more
functional and added they did
not feel the whims of individual
department heads should be
given so much consideration.
Delay Laid to Steel.
The $18 million building was
delayed more than a year by the
shortage of steel. Finally put
underway last spring. the Byrne
Organization went to work on the
major construction in June.
The building should have been
completed in 10 months, Mr..
Bass said. He said, however, de-
lays have increased the time I'M
til, at present, a completion date
of June 80 is expected.
Mr.. Bass warned that if any of
the major changes proposed at
the December meeting were in
corporated, they would cost the
county more money and would
move the completion date back
dIlOI1er SU 10 W Gays.
Mr.. McNayr told the Council
that, despite the seeming scar
city of workmen around the
building. about 100 had been
there every day recently and an
average of 10 to 80 had been
there every day since work be-
gan.
Mr.. Bass said soon after his
firm went to work on the job
last June, the architectural
drawings were changed and new
ones submitted to him. He said
there were II revisions in the
plans. Many of the changes
were costly to the county. he
added.
He said workmen have been
ordered to stop work on the first
floor Of the Office wing, the
north end Of the second and
fourth floors and the basement
floor X-ray rooms in the health
wing.
Chamber in Kensinqton
The Kensington Chamber of
Commerce will meet at 8 pm.
tomorrow at the Kensington fire.
h0ISa pri1oS will ko oxx,or6oI ~,