I’m hearing now that we may not receive the report until next week because the person editing the draft report has been out ‘sick’.
An independent firm, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., conducted their field observations of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center siding on December 12 and 13, 2017, and is working to complete the building enclosure report. The City of Sioux Falls has asked Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. to complete the report this week if possible. The City also requested the completed report be sent simultaneously to Purchasing Manager Scott Rust and City Clerk Tom Greco.
I’m glad to see the city council will get the report at the same time as the administration, but I am wondering if Public Works has already seen a DRAFT report and that is why there may have been a delay? As we all know consultants, especially ones that work for our city, many times, give a draft report for review and recommendations. It’s goes to my point that when the city pays some consultant for a report, they sometimes want a specific result(s). Not saying this is happening here, but it HAS happened in the past on water rate reports (recommended increases) and the indoor pool study (recommended Spellerberg park).
Mayor Mike Huether and Director of Public Works Mark Cotter will host a news conference to formally announce the results as soon as possible after receipt of the building enclosure report. City Council Leadership will also be invited to participate in the news conference.
Council should not be ‘invited’ they should be having their own press conference about this, as I have said, this is THEIR report, not the administrations.
In October 2017, the City of Sioux Falls issued a request for proposals for an independent review of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center’s IMETCO CF-12 exterior metal wall panel system for functionality and structural soundness. In addition to a review of the exterior metal wall panel system, the consultant also reviewed the air and moisture barrier system behind the metal wall panel system. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., a Chicago-based company with extensive knowledge and experience in building enclosure systems, was chosen to complete the review.
It will be interesting to read this report and it’s findings.
I heard last night that the consultant reviewing the siding did the review on December 12-13. They will turn that report over this week to Mark Cotter, the director of Public Works. As I understand it, Cotter and the administration will review the report and make a condensed presentation of it to present to the city council at a future informational meeting.
This is Bullsh*t for many reasons.
The mayor and his minions involved with the multiple lies about the siding settlement should not be able to see this report first.
The city council should have seen the report first, the public second and the mayor last.
It only makes sense to give the report to the city council first, they are the ones that requested it and budgeted for it mostly due to the bad decisions and lies from the administration and his management team. The last thing they needed was the mayor’s blessing. It’s like letting the bad student see his report card before his parents do.
If this is truly the case, prepare yourself to see a very condensed and watered down report from Cotter and the Mayor.
UPDATE: I have been told by a city official that the report won’t show up until next week.
I reached out to Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, the company in charge of doing the events center siding report. I asked them if the study was complete and if so if the city received it yet. I also asked for a copy of the report. I have not gotten a response to any of my questions.
My assumption is that study would be complete by now. Since it was due on December 29, I think it is safe to say that they would not have been reviewing the siding the week before Christmas and finalizing a written report that last week of the year. This of course is just an assumption.
I do know that at least one city councilor requested to see the report at the same time as public works and mayor’s office, but never really got a confirmation on that.
I’m speculating the city (mayor’s office) is combing through it secretely and privately to maximize damage control if something in the report turns out to be bad.
We can truly call 2017 in Sioux Falls, ‘The Year of Extreme Secrecy’.
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.