Strikes, Disputes And Weather Aside, Tally Hall Slated For June Opening

Strike, disputes and weather aside, Tally Hall slated for June opening

By BONNIE DeSIMONE

CITY GOVERNMENT REPORTER

One year late and $264,708 over budget, Tally Hall, the combination parking structure/retail shops/ethnic dining mall, is finally on track for a pre-summer art fairs opening.

About 400 permit parkers, including employees from Jacobson’s, the State Street Merchants’ Association, First of America Bank and The Ann Arbor News, are now using spaces on three levels of the parking structure while construction continues on the upper decks. The 600-space structure is not - repeat not - open to the public yet.

The retail/restaurant portion of Tally Hall, a joint venture between the Downtown Development Authority and the Royce/Dahlmann development company, is pencilled in for a June 27 grand opening celebration.

Tally Hall’s saga is not exactly one which makes city officials salivate over the prospect of building more parking structures. Its progress has been marred by everything from a concrete mixer drivers’ strike to bad weather to bad blood between the contractor and the city.

The city Building Department went so far as to recommend that construction on Tally Hall be stopped last fall, although Building Director Jack Donaldson now says his concerns have been addressed.

Among the problems the project has encountered, according to city Engineering Department files:

■ A September Building Department inspection revealed exposed steel tendons, a crack in a concrete beam and “honeycombed” concrete in one area on the third tier of the structure. The report concluded that work should be halted “until the city is provided with acceptable certification and assurances that construction is in accordance with good engineering practices, the city’s plans and specifications and proper construction procedures.” Donaldson said repair of the honeycombing, which was probably caused by a “pour” done on a rainy day this summer, and of the crack with high-strength grout has been done to his satisfaction. He described the tendon problem, which has been corrected, as a common one “in any structure of this design.” A temporary certificate of occupancy was issued to the building in December.

■ Because the concrete decks were poured behind schedule, cold temperatures ruled out the application of concrete sealer. CWA Walker of Kalamazoo, the city’s consulting engineer on the project, strongly objected to the city’s decision to open part of the structure tor parking, stating that road salt tracked in by cars could seep through the concrete and cause corrosion of the reinforcing steel rods at 10 times the normal rate. Walker advised hosing down the decks every two weeks, which the city is doing, and taking chloride ion samples of the concrete in the spring to determine the extent of salt penetration.

■ Many observers have been astonished at the bulk of a huge column directly in the middle of the structure’s S-curve Washington Street entrance. Chizek, now assistant city administrator for engineering services, said the column is a main structural support and cannot be removed, but city engineers are studying its safety ramifications. Options being considered include more signs and/or a concrete island which would keep cars well away from the column.

■ The largest of the change-orders, at nearly $125,000, came after it was discovered that substantial modifications had to be made to the electrical fixtures in the structure. City project engineer Don Todd said the changes were made after bids had already gone out. “It’s a fine line as to who should have known better,” he said.

■ Kent Whiteman, owner of neighboring The Talbott’s women’s clothing store, has written repeatedly to the city complaining about damage to his rooftop caused by falling construction materials and workers jumping onto the roof

■ Individual, non-permit parkers have been using the structure for free. But the party will end for them soon, as the city Transportation Department has started to issue written warnings to offenders. Those who ignore those caveats have sometimes been greeted by bricks lying on their front seats rather than tickets on their windshields. Vandalism in the unfinished structure has prompted the city to hire a security guard to patrol the building at night.

■ In late 1984, Tally Hall’s main contractor, F.J. Jones of South-field, asked the city to reimburse more than $700,000 of expenses incurred because of delays the firm believes are the city’s fault, including arrangements for removal of utility lines. The city denied the claim and intends to assess the firm $500 for every day the project runs behind schedule - an amount now in excess of $160,000. Then-city engineer Leigh Chizek’s letter charged that the delays were “created by (F.J. Jones) not aggressively pursuing the work . . . (in) an ongoing attempt to intimidate the city into negotiations regarding your delay claim.”

Photo Caption:

News Photo - Jim Jagdfeld

Traffic leaving Tally Hall. Employees from nearby businesses are parking with permits, but the structure is not open to the public.