Bedford Township ends rift over library

4/6/2005

TEMPERANCE - Bedford Township board members last night agreed to settle a long-standing dispute involving their new $4.3 million library and its electrical service.

As the township finished construction of its library last year, township officials learned a new $15,000 electrical system that had been called for in the plans hadn't been installed, and the old library's electrical service panel had been reused.

The resulting dispute involved the township; general contractor J.L. Judge Construction Services of Detroit; JDRM Engineering Inc. of Sylvania; project architect The Collaborative Inc. of Toledo, and contractor Koelsch Electric of Toledo. The dispute lasted more than four months.

Last night, the township agreed in principle to accept a proposed settlement by reducing the full construction contract amount by $11,000. The reduction will be formally accepted later this month in the form of a change order.

Former township Supervisor LaMar Frederick, who has overseen construction of the new 30,000-square-foot library during his time in office and afterward, said last night that the settlement closes one major outstanding issue with the library, but others remain.

"There are still about 15 to 20 items on the punch list that have not been completed yet," Mr. Frederick said, adding that the township is holding $71,000 of the general contractor's money. "These items will all be finished or we won't pay them."

The former supervisor said the township continues to have a dispute with The Collaborative over the quality of its oversight on the project.

In other action, the board went into executive session to discuss buying additional park and cemetery land. Board members wouldn't identify the parcel but directed township officials to negotiate a contract for the land.