OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Pictured is the new Town of Arkwright Highway Department building addition, which was set for completion by the end of September.

ARKWRIGHT — The Arkwright building saga has taken another turn as the long-awaited Highway Department building addition nears its completion.

With just weeks to go before reaching its target date of the end of September, the building is not up to the Town’s standards. The steel of the building appears dented or damaged because of an issue referred to as oil canning.

Among the causes for oil canning includes the over-driving of fasteners, loose or tight clips, uneven substrate, underlayment that is not flat, or the primary structure being moved. While the building still appears near complete, the Town does not believe it is good enough for the amount it is spending on the project.

“It looks like dents from either not being installed correctly, or being mishandled … and there is no excuse for what we’re paying,” McAvoy said.

The Highway Department addition total cost amounts to just over $850,000. The general construction bid was awarded to NCI Construction, of Lancaster, in the amount of $742,000. McAvoy previously stated that the only other bid received by the Town was well over $1 million.

“The architect is taking them to task on that. I don’t know what remedy we’ll have, but we’re not just accepting it,” McAvoy said. “… A brand new building that we’re paying this much money for, you want it to be pristine.”

Plans for a new Town Hall and Highway Department Building were discussed for several years before the Town settled on a proposal for an addition to the Highway Department garage. The Town originally planned for a new Town Hall, including the Highway Department garage, office space, and other amenities, but the bids came in well over $1 million above what was expected.

Arkwright paid CPL architects several payments throughout the years to get the project done. Although the Board expressed its frustration with all the payments it has made to CPL, McAvoy feels an issue like the Town faces now is why it was good to have architects on its side.

“I’m so happy we have an architect in our corner. I would not want to be in this position with us fighting with the general contractor,” McAvoy said.

The Town is also planning upgrades to the existing Town Hall building, including siding for cladding and roofing, but those upgrades have been put on hold until the issues with the Highway Department building are resolved. The Town’s Highway Department will be installing bollards and handling other minor aspects of the building’s completion on its own.

Highway Superintendent Lisa Waldron reiterated McAvoy’s opinion of CPL’s architect regarding the issues with the Highway Department addition. “He’s not happy at all. He’s not letting them slide on this,” Waldron said.