Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins says the city should delay Friday’s formal dedication of Starkville Police Department after he received reports of basement flooding from a project contractor last week.
Once contacted by The Dispatch Tuesday, Mayor Parker Wiseman personally inspected the former city hall and confirmed standing water was present in a crawl space are toward the back of the building.
Friday’s dedication ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with SPD staff members and the building’s furnishings to be moved in throughout July.
Because the issue deals with a portion of the building not meant to house workers, Wiseman said he does not believe the dedication ceremony should be postponed.
“If there was an issue with space meant to be occupied by city staff, that would change my evaluation,” he said. “This is an area of the building that is effectively crawl space for mechanical infrastructure.”
Perkins, however, said taxpayers deserve to get the most from their $5.4 million investment and cautioned against proceeding with the event while “significant issues go unresolved.”
“The city needs to step back, put its feet on the brakes and wait until the contractor gives us the green light. I think it’s in the best interest of the taxpayers that we be patient, take our time and wait until the project is complete before dedicating the building,” Perkins said. “(Reports of flooding need) to be investigated, and we need to see if there are other outstanding matters. I want this to be a first-class facility, and we need to give the contractors sufficient time to do their job.”
Contractor aware of the issue
The project’s contractor, Weathers Construction Inc., is aware of the problem, Wiseman said, and managers believe water is penetrating the basement from the ground.
Workers have excavated an area around a crack in the building’s floor in an attempt evaluate the situation, Wiseman said, and a drainage line present before renovation efforts began must also be inspected via camera to identify any problems with its flow.
“Hopefully, by evaluating the area where the crack in the floor is and by TV-ing the drain, we’ll learn enough about the situation to prevent the water from coming in the basement all together. But it may be impossible to keep water out due to the fact that it could be related to moisture under the building,” he said. “In that case, a sub pump can be placed in the basement to ensure that seepage is kept to a minimum.
Issues with standing water related to ground seepage and heavy rains have plagued the building for years, project architect Gary Shafer said in an email. Since renovation plans do not consider the flooded portion of the basement as occupied space, “no programed functions were designed” for it “and the resolution of the water problems could be considered after further investigation by the civil engineer.”
“We believe that there are solutions available if there is a need to use this space in the future,” Shafer said in the email.
How problem came to light
The worker who originally contacted Perkins, Keith Lawrence of Security Solutions, said he’s repeatedly observed water pooling in the building’s lower level in the past two or three months. Lawrence said he reached out to city staff before contacting the vice mayor.
Lawrence provided The Dispatch with a number of photographs illustrating the flooding issue. He also said he observed mold and mildew growing in the basement.
At one point, Lawrence said he observed contractors using push brooms to force water out of the building. At another, he said workers began pumping out water but “just as much came in as it pushed out.”
“As a citizen of Starkville and a taxpayer paying $5 million for a building that’s flooding, that’s unacceptable to me. I just think it’s a waste of money if you’re going to spend that much and (have continued problems),” he said.
Perkins, who routinely votes against tax increases of any nature, previously supported a 1-mill increase to fund renovation efforts. Failing to solve the flooding problem and any other lingering issues before the building is accepted, he said, is a failure to the men and women who “work so diligently to serve and protect Starkville.”
“I’ve been on this board for over 20 years and have been dealing with the issue of trying to come up with a building and a location for our police department. Certainly, I have demonstrated a lot of patience trying to ensure that we selected the best site and ways and means to finance the building. Since we’re at this point, we need to get the best dollar amount for this effort. We want the best, top-quality product,” Perkins said. “There seems to be a desire by the current administration to get done by Friday. Any of the elected officials who want to be present for the dedication can come back next term when it’s done properly.”
When initially contacted by The Dispatch, SPD Chief Frank Nichols said he wasn’t aware of any flooding issues at the project site but said he would “look into it.” The Dispatch later provided the chief text message copies of the photos, he did not respond.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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