Work Behind Schedule on Convention Center; Extension Sought

Excavation work on San Diego’s $125-million waterfront convention center is as much as three months behind schedule and could hamper construction of the center itself if the delay reaches into February, Port District officials said Thursday.

Word of the delay comes a month after an announcement confirming that the convention center is now due for completion in mid-1988, six months later than once predicted.

The excavation was supposed to have been completed by Oct. 31, but the contractor, HuntCor Inc. of Phoenix, has asked for an extension of more than 100 days, according to officials for the Port District, which is building the convention center.

HuntCor and the Port District signed a $5.1-million contract in May requiring the company to prepare the 11-acre site at the foot of 5th Avenue and south of Seaport Village for the second phase of construction--the center itself.

Involved in the excavation is the moving of utility and sewer lines, the digging of the underground garage, installation of pilings and the widening and moving of Harbor Drive.

Officials at the company’s headquarters in Phoenix were unavailable for comment, and a secretary at HuntCor’s San Diego office said no one there was authorized to make statements on the matter.

Port District officials said the delay is due in part to moving a five-foot-diameter storm sewer pipe, a lag in the shipment of sheet pilings from HuntCor’s European supplier and simply slowness in getting started.

Under the terms of the contract, the Port District can fine the company $1,000 for each day it is late. Over three months, that would amount to more than $90,000. The decision to levy fines, or instead grant all or part of the extension requested by the company, rests with the commissioners of the Port District.

William Rick, chairman of the commission, said Thursday that some of the delay is the company’s fault. That will be taken into consideration, he said, when the commission decides on the company’s request for an extension, probably within the next few weeks.

“What could be a problem is, if it’s not done by February, then we’re bumping into the second phase,” Rick said.

An extended delay could affect companies bidding on the approximately $100-million second phase, said Ward Deems, one of the principal convention center architects.

Now that the district’s bidding documents are nearing completion, it will be essential for contractors to view a completed excavation site before submitting their bids, Deems said after a Thursday morning commission meeting.

John Wilbur, the Port District’s chief engineer, described the potential three-month delay as “a worst-case scenario.” The district had planned for a two-month cushion between completion of the excavation and the return of bids, Wilbur said.

The district is expected to advertise for bids in late November or December, according to Wilbur. Opening of bids is tentatively set for the end of January.

“They’re technically in default after the 31st,” Wilbur said. “Practically speaking, we don’t know where they’ll be because, although they’ve asked for more than 100 days, some of the things they have to do can be done at the same time. But, obviously, if things go very late, there could be problems.”

Last month, the architectural firm hired by the Port District to check the center’s construction schedule and costs revealed that the center would not be completed until mid-1988. The original predicted opening in late 1987 had been based on a 20-month construction timetable.

But such a schedule was unrealistic, the architectural firm of Howard Needles Tammen and Bergendoff of Los Angeles told the Port District. It is more realistic to count on a 26-month schedule, the firm said.

Confusion over the center’s opening has already forced the cancellation of four conventions. It’s also likely that a Super Bowl gala will have to be moved elsewhere. The Super Bowl will be played in San Diego in January, 1988.

In related business, port commissioners Thursday heard a report from the project’s architects updating the costs and design elements of the center.

Total costs are still within the district’s $125-million construction budget, Deems said.

And there is even a good possibility, Deems said, that bids for the center will come in 2% to 3% lower than the estimated $100-million second-phase construction cost. The reason for this is a general softening in the construction business, especially for large projects, leading to more competitive bidding, Deems said.

If the bid selected by the Port District comes in low, the savings would be used to upgrade the center by installing more elevators and restrooms and to buy a $4.8-million tent to cover an outside terrace, among other amenities.