Argus asks 6 lingering questions, I will ‘attempt’ to answer them

The AL just posted a story asking remaining questions about the siding settlement, I am going to take some ‘un-educated’ guesses at answering the questions. This is MY opinion only, and I surely don’t expect the city to back them up in anyway.

• Question: Why did the Premier Center siding panels warp in the first place?

This is kind of an easy one. While the metal paneling may look like just brushed metal, it actually has a coating on it (that coating is what is covered by the warranty) in other words if it starts to chip or fall off, they would have to recoat the siding. That will likely NOT happen in 20 years. As to why they warped, that is simple. Unlike metal, lets say on a grain bin that is actually rolled when manufactured to give it it’s curve, the contractor that applied the siding on the EC used FLAT, unrolled siding, in other words they attempted to roll or curve the siding while installing it. Not an easy task. It’s called oil canning, and causes the siding to ripple when it is being bent on installation. Ironically, they would NOT have had this problem if they would have installed the SAME siding vertically. In fact the company that manufactured the siding recommends this kind of installation which would keep the siding flat, as intened.

• Question: Did anyone with the city sign off on the use of the panels before installation?

The simple answer to that is YES. The building was constantly being surveyed by city building inspectors. Someone had to have given the go ahead from the city. Who that was is a mystery. There was a project manager and a chief building inspector from the city assigned to the project. Will they be in attendance on Tuesday?

• Question: What would it cost to replace the warped siding?

My best guess is $3-4.5 million. So where does that number come from? Early reports were that the original siding that was proposed by Dalsin and Koch Hazard were going to be flat metal panels (aprox 8 x 16 foot) it would have given the building a hexagonal look. You can see the design in early architectural drawings of the EC. They decided to go with a cheaper design that ‘saved’ $3 million. Obviously if we were to replace the siding, we would want to do it right, so that is how I came up with the $3-4.5 million dollar figure. It could be more since there will be demolition and inflation involved.

• Question: Why was McGrath not a party to the settlement?

This is confusing also, but technically they really were party to the settlement, Mortenson assumed responsibility for them as one of their sub-contractors. As I understand it McGrath installed the siding on Lincoln’s Pinnacle center and the Vikings Stadium also (which is being replaced at NO cost to taxpayers.) They also had to re-design the Corn Palace’s new domes after their initial design failed due to high winds. Their track record hasn’t been so stellar lately.

• Question: Now that the settlement is public, has the city come clean with everything related to the warped panels?

Well NO. As I have mentioned we haven’t been shown the forensic engineers report or the working notes of the settlement. My best guess is that the report DID not deny the warping and probably told the city to find ways to distract viewers from it. They have done a few things like putting flag banners on the South Wall and telling people that the warping makes the paneling look ‘interesting’ you know, much like hail damage makes a car look interesting.

• Question: Why were the parties determined to make this confidential?

This is obvious, because what we were told and what we actually got are two different things. You know the old saying, ‘What you don’t know can’t hurt you.’

Of course the siding settlement is just a long list of secrets we have had hidden from us during the Huether administration. Instead of a informational I would rather see a Federal Grand Jury, and make sure every one has their colonoscopies taken care of before the hearing this time.