HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/16/1997, C-8 - REPAIRS AT HEADQUARTERS FIRE STATION council ° ° q_,6_27
j acEnda Report G8
C I TY OF SAN LU IS O B I S P O
FROM: Robert F.Neumann,Fire Chief
SUBJECT: REPAIRS AT HEADQUARTERS FIRE STATION
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Appropriate $21,000 from the General Fund unappropriated fund balance to make the following
repairs to the headquarters fire station:
■ Clean and reseal all exterior masonry($10,100).
■ Install a metal cap or flashing on the horizontal surfaces of the masonry walls($10,900).
DISCUSSION
As originally designed and constructed, a problem has developed with the masonry walls on the
new headquarters fire station. During the heavy rains of last winter, a large amount of water ran
down the exterior walls. Once the weather cleared, a white stain, or streaking appeared on the
walls. These stains were researched and determined to be lime leaching from the mortar. This is a
result of a failure of the water repellent on both the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the block.
The problem will only grow worse with the passage of time and could eventually cause significant
damage. As the rainy season approaches, it is prudent to move forward in expedient manner to
rectify the problem.
In order to document the scope of the problem, staff has retained a private testing lab which
conducted a series of moisture absorbent tests. They have reported that the water proofing of the
horizontal surfaces of the masonry cap has failed, allowing moisture to seep into the walls. In
addition, their test results indicate that the water repellent was inadequately applied on the vertical
surfaces during the construction phase. In other words, the application was "spotty" or the
coverage was poor.
In order to resolve this problem the project architect, RRM Design Group, has been contacted.
They recommend the following two actions:
■ Cleaning and resealing the entire building.
■ Capping the horizontal surfaces of the masonry walls with a metal flashing.
Staff has been working closely with the City Attorney's office to determine responsibility. A
number of avenues are available to the City in recouping costs to repair this problem. At this point
in time, we are hesitant to prejudice discussions and/or negotiations by exploring the City's options
in this document. Staff will advise the Council at a later date with a course of action as
recommended by the City Attorney.
Council.Agen& Report-Repairs atHeadgiiarters Fire:Station
Page 2 -- - ----
FISCAL IMPACT
Performing;the needed.repairs is estimated to cost'.S21,000 sunimarized as follows:
Cleaning and resealing building - -_- - --- _ --__ -_ -_ $102100
Installin metalcap or flashing. -- _ -- -- _-- 101900
Total
At this time, we recommend going.forward with these.needed repairs and funding the costs from.
the unreserved General Fund balance. However;we expect to recover a reasonable portion of these
funds m the near future.