City Manager Matthews advised the City Council that the elevator work that took place over the prior weekend had gone very well. The drilling work was accomplished in a shorter time period than originally envisioned.
The City Manager further advised the City Council that the settlement agreement with Powermax, a subcontractor to James F. Knott Construction, had been finalized and that she had executed the agreement on behalf of the City. In accordance with the settlement agreement, the City had made two payments to Powermax. One payment resolved a number of Proposed Change Orders (PCOs) that had been the subject of mediation in May 2006. The second payment represented the project retainage attributable to work performed by Powermax, less the value of outstanding punch list work.
City Manager Matthews noted that Community and Government Liaison Suzanne Ludlow had recently e-mailed the City Council a draft letter to County Councilmember Marilyn Praisner, who serves as the Chair of the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee. The letter concerned the City's supplemental budget request for the gymnasium project. The City Manager acknowledged that Mayor Porter had provided comments to staff regarding the draft. The City Manager asked that the other Councilmembers provide staff with their comments by the close of business on the following day.
The City Manager stated that she had recently sent the City Council an e-mail regarding the public process for the proposed gymnasium. Staff proposed that the City hold two public sessions. The first would be held on Saturday, February 10, 2007 at Grace Episcopal Church located on New Hampshire Avenue. The other session would take place on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Takoma Park Community Center. The City Council would then hold a work session on Monday, February 12, 2007 to discuss the input received at the public forum and provide direction to staff as to how the City should proceed.
City Manager informed the City Council that she was working on a current financial report for the Community Center project, which she hoped to distribute to the City Council in the next few weeks.
Barb Matthews
City Manager
City of Takoma Park
7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 891-7268