El Paso City Council may terminate contract with Barron Park construction company

The city of El Paso’s engineering department says a Quality of Life Bond project is months behind schedule and tomorrow city council may terminate the contract with the construction company.

Barron Park in far northeast El Paso has a sign out front with a completion date of summer 2014. It’s on the 11000 block of Rogers Hornsby Street near Sean Haggerty Drive and U.S. 54.

The city’s engineering department says there are numerous concerns with the work Spartan Construction of New Mexico has done.

The park is part of the $470 million Quality of Life Bond approved by voters in 2012. Of that total amount, $195 million is for new parks and park improvements. City records show the project is four months behind schedule.

“You always have disagreements sometimes in construction and we’re working with the city,” Spartan Construction of New Mexico President Steve Allen said. He blames the delay due to weather, a design flaw and changes in the orders.

Not only is the park’s completion date months behind schedule but the city says it’s not being constructed properly. In a presentation given to council, it said an irrigation system was rejected and concrete is already cracking on the basketball courts.

“It’s not safe if they’re not doing everything the way they’re supposed to be doing it, up to code and everything,” nearby resident Darrick Cooper said. “That does concern me and I guess if they need to go, they need to go.”

The city keeps close tabs on all Quality of Life Bond projects and said in an emailed statement, “The city of El Paso’s Engineering and Construction Management Department employs a team of construction inspectors who visit city construction sites every day. Their chief responsibility is ensuring contractors comply with a project’s approved scope of work.”

“It has always been Spartan’s goal, as always, to deliver a completed park to the city. We have stated and stand by our commitment to achieve substantial completion by May 30 this year,” Allen said. He also said construction progress has improved since his company met with city council two weeks ago.

Should the contract be terminated, Allen said he will meet with his lawyer to figure out what’s next.

For the latest updates on the city’s Quality of Life Bond projects, click here.