City Manager Matthews informed the City Council that James F. Knott Construction Company had arranged a courtesy walk through by Montgomery County to identify any problem areas prior to the final inspection. The walk through took place on September 14th.
As noted in the prior report, the project design team was in the process of preparing a punch list for submission to the contractor. On site inspections are continuing.
The City Manager stated that the major outstanding issues in order to obtain an occupancy permit are utility related. Installation of the new gas meter was completed, and the related work was underway. There were also some issues involving WSSC that needed to be addressed.
Taking into account the projected time frame for resolving the utility related issues, turnover of the building was projected to occur during the week of October 3rd. If so, relocation of the staff would occur shortly thereafter.
City Manager Matthews stated that the project management team was working with TRG Construction to finalize the details of the contract for the Community Plaza Level. She stated that the firm had declined to grant additional time for acceptance of Bid Alternate No. 3 for the security system, noting the amount of time that has transpired since bid opening and their desire to lock in the scope of work for planning purposes.
The City Manager then addressed the status of the walkway through the parking lot, which is in the process of being installed. Crosswalk style painting is being used to delineate the walkway. Parking on the library side of the lot will be restricted to compact cars only to compensate for the movement of the parking stalls four feet from the curb. The City Manager expressed her appreciation to the staff of the Public Works Department and the Housing and Community Development Department for their hard work in identifying a solution that worked given the various constraints.
Lastly, City Manager Matthews advised the City Council that she and Councilmember Williams had recently met with Howard Kohn of the Community Center Liaison Committee. The Committee would like for the City to pay for a plaque listing the names of those who donated to the Takoma Foundation, as well as plaques to be installed in the rooms that have been sponsored by individuals. The City Manager noted that the cost of the plaques would be minor, and she felt that the Committee's request was reasonable. The City Council agreed to pay for the plaques as requested.