The opening of Gahanna’s $59 million civic center is delayed, again.
The renovation of a three-story office building at 825 Tech Center Drive, off of Morrison Road, will be the home of city hall, police headquarters and a senior center.
Construction started in May 2024, with an expected completion date in November 2025. That first got pushed to April but is now sometime in mid-July because of a previous contractor’s faulty electrical work.
The CEO of Elford, the main contractor on the project, told Gahanna City Council on May 18 that the electrical contractor was terminated from the project because of issues with the work. Mike Fitzpatrick said a new electrical company is working to fix the “poor-quality work” of the previous firm.
Fitzpatrick said the project is still on budget and that any extra costs to fix the faulty work will fall on Elford.
“We have thoroughly inspected all of the work previously installed by this contractor, and we are making significant repairs and adjustments to bring the electrical work to original design specifications and all code requirements,” Fitpatrick said.
He added that the company is planning to “work through the legal process” to hold the previous electrical contractor “responsible in accordance with Ohio law.”
Kevin Schultz, the city’s senior operations director, said work continues on the building every day.
“While you see work going on, the building is in great shape,” Schultz said.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/trending suburban news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gahanna’s new civic center opening delayed by faulty electrical work
Reporting by Anna Lynn Winfrey, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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