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November 4, 2005Collapse fault questionedSubcontractor says blame must be sharedTRAVERSE CITY - A subcontractor blamed for the collapse of the Grand Traverse County septage treatment plant said others also must share in the failure."The county's report made it sound like it's a slam dunk, the responsibility of Farrington Construction, and that's just not the case," said Joe Quandt, corporate counsel for Farrington. Quandt said Farrington's expert, engineer George Ehlert, determined additional factors contributed to the June collapse of the new, multi-million dollar facility. "Our expert advises us there are many concerns with the assumptions in the NTH reports," Quandt wrote in a letter to county attorney Michael Houlihan. The engineering firm hired by the county, NTH Consulting, said Farrington did not install steel hooks that were supposed to tie the roof to walls, leading to the collapse of a tank holding 150,000 gallons of partially treated sewage. Quandt said Farrington is not denying the hooks weren't installed, but there may be a different cause or more than one reason the wall collapsed. He declined to discuss those reasons until he receives a final report from his engineer early next week. Once he receives the report he'll share it with the county, he said. Quandt requested a meeting with the county's sewer and water committee to show that not all of the fault lies with Farrington - and not all the financial responsibility to fix it. Quandt said Farrington won't take sole responsibility for the collapse or the costs to fix the plant. A lack of a resolution likely will lead to a court battle, he said. County administrator Dennis Aloia said he doesn't think the county should become enmeshed with project subcontractors. The county's contract, he said, is with the design/build team of Gourdie-Fraser/Christman and the disagreement with Farrington is "their problem." Quandt disagreed. "I think it would be in everyone's best interest to come up with a remediation plan that's acceptable to the county and I think its important the county be involved," he said. Engineers from NTH will present their final report to the county at a Nov. 9 meeting at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center. See Related Stories: Septage report cites company's omission - October 19, 2005 Acme reverses, wants Houlihan removed from investigation - October 15, 2005 Septage plant collapse explanation coming - October 15, 2005 County officials back Houlihan in septage investigation - October 7, 2005 Septage 'debacle' questioned; Supervisor wants all info - October 4, 2005 Public awaits report on collapse of septage plant - September 27, 2005 Taxpayers won't foot bill for septage plant repairs - July 26, 2005 Officials looked for 'spin' in septage plant collapse - July 23, 2005 Septage spill situation becoming muddled, attorney says - July 23, 2005 Septage plant repairs tagged at $2 million - July 19, 2005 Health risk from septage plant failure said minimal - July 19, 2005 Well owners near septage plant fear contamination - June 25, 2005 GT County's septage treatment plant may reopen - June 22, 2005 Septage plant 'structural failure' is investigated - June 21, 2005 Burst tank rocks GT County's new septage plant - June 19, 2005
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