The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is currently seeking legal advice on how it can part ways with Dave Constructing, the company that was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build a new administrative building, which is located in the south-eastern corner of the City Hall compound.
Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore, revealed that construction was stalled because of issues with the contractor, who kept requesting multiple extensions. According to Mentore, construction has been stalled for about a year now. He added that the contractor did a lot of “general work” but never actually completed a specific phase.
As such, he said the Council is seeking legal advice on how to end the relationship with the company and hire another firm.
“He did a lot of general work…externally and internally so in doing that we weren’t able to actually complete a phase. We would have been moving to complete the downstairs, which would have been the Treasurer Department and then we have the other departments on the other floor. But we didn’t get the chance to complete any of the phases. Most of the work he did was general,” Mentore explained.
“Most of the work that has to be done is the…finishing work, framing up things, and putting ceiling. We have to settle it now, as it relates to finishing work…that in itself takes time but it also takes money,” the Deputy Mayor added.
According to previous reports, the building was being constructed in phases. In 2019, the central government gave $75 million to the M&CC for the first phase of construction works.
The second phase of construction would have commenced in December 2021, after the government handed over a $30 million subvention to City Hall to complete the building.
The new building, when completed, is expected to have an elevator, a room for the holding of statutory meetings, and all the vital administrative departments.
The construction of the administrative building became a top priority for the municipality, given the dilapidated state of the existing structure, which is unsafe for staff.
In addition to the construction of the administrative building, the historical City Hall building is also being rehabilitated.
