The EC siding report is expected to be completed by the end of the month, if it already isn’t done. If I was a guessing man, I think the city will get the report next week, or at least hide it until next week (slow news week).
I still have not heard if the report will be presented to the council before the mayor and public works director, or if they will get to observe the initial report at the same time. My assumption like most things Huether administration is that he and his minions will get to comb through it before giving it to council leadership, who will comb through it also before giving it to the council, than the thoroughly watered down version will reach the public.
If I was a city councilor I would demand the report came to them first and shown to the public before the mayor sees it. Why? The reason the dented up siding was put on the building in the first place was because of decisions made by either the mayor, his management team, or both. We don’t need him noodling around in the report before handing it over to the council.
What should we expect?
First off, the appearance is indisputable. The oil-canning has created a dented up look to it. No matter who would have done the report, that part obvious.
I think they will also find the siding itself structurally sound. I don’t think the siding is going anywhere. I have noticed running up to this report the mayor and his minions kept bringing up the report was mostly about that. I hope not. The concern all along has been whether or not all the holes and cracks created by the oil-canning are going to cause an issue with the weather barrier.
Determining if the siding is weather tight and not causing moisture and mold issues under the siding is the biggest question here. I think they will find ‘some issues’ with that and offer some immediate and long term solutions. Trust me, I would take no pleasure in hearing that the moisture barrier is weak and not working effectively, because that would require a multi-million dollar solution which would be to tear off the siding.
But let’s face it, at the end of the day, no matter if it is weather tight or not, it will continue to look like sh*t, because it should not have been put on to begin with. The product selection and application process was done on the cheap to save time and money. We will see just how much ‘money’ we have saved.
*I also believe the mayor is waiting for this report and hoping it will put closure on the siding issues so he can move forward and make his next big political announcement.
When you let the accused decide his own case, there was no crime to begin with. This matter is the best example of why Strong Mayor Charter doesn’t work. After a State Supreme Court case, it boils down to sweep it under the rug.