Woodbury County LEC substantial completion delayed slightly

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Substantial completion of the new Woodbury County jail has been pushed back slightly to the end of July.

The roughly $70 million project isn’t expected to officially open until several weeks after the substantial completion. In its weekly press release, the LEC Authority said sound controls, ventilation issues and elevator corrections have contributed to the later date. Other factors include the changing out of fan boxes and adding a VAV box, along with more coils and replacing certain control and balancing valves.

“The equipment, once received, will take approximately three weeks to install,” LEC Authority chairman Ron Wieck said. “The system can’t be completely balanced and commissioned until the valves and fan-powered boxes are installed and ceilings re-installed.”

Despite the setbacks, LEC Authority members are expressing optimism about getting the project finished after being delayed more than a year. However, they also said the delays have “damaged” the authority and Woodbury County.

“The Authority and its counsel continue to assess its additional costs and damages on the Project caused by the actions, inactions, and concurrent delays by Hausmann [Construction], Goldberg [Group Architects], and Goldberg’s engineer, Introba and will hold the responsible parties liable for such additional costs and damages,” the release states.

The jail’s substantial completion date was previously set for early July .

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