Design and Construction Report Staff writer
The Fayetteville City Council has selected new contractors to complete two long-delayed projects that were abandoned by the previous contractor, though some council members in the North Carolina community expressed concern that the decision was made too quickly.
New contracts for the Mazarick Park Tennis Center and the Mable C. Smith Community Center come after the city filed a lawsuit in November against Apex Contracting Group, accusing the company of defrauding the city multiple times. The city also sued the bond companies, claiming they refused to honor surety bonds for the projects.
The contract for the Mable C. Smith Community Center was awarded to Alpha Builders for $595,000 and M&E Contracting will take over the Mazarick Park Tennis Center project, expected to cost about $2.57 million. The new facility will include gym amenities such as showers and changing rooms and is expected to take 9 to 18 months to complete, according to Parks and Recreation Director Michael Gibson. However, the contract excludes unresolved sitework and tennis court components from the previous contract that were not finished.
Council member Deno Hondros voiced concerns about moving forward with new contractors without knowing how much the sitework and tennis court projects will cost. “I know we’re all anxious to get these stalled projects back on track and completed as quickly as possible, but rushing into another decision without more information is something I can’t support,” Hondros said.
However, Gibson defended the decision.
“We’ve worked with them on other projects, including building swimming pools, and they do excellent work,” Gibson said. “I’m confident that we’re taking the right steps to get these projects completed.”
Council member Mario Benavente also suggested delaying the decisions until more information was available.
“Given that we’ve already had issues with contractors on these projects, it’s crucial that we take extra care this time,” Benavente said. “We all want these projects completed, but the priority should be getting them done correctly—without exceeding the budget or needing to hire another contractor.”
