Oceanside Tells Builder to Fix Civic Center : Construction: City negotiates with general contractor to repair ceiling leaks, cracks and other problems in the $33-million complex.

Oceanside’s $33-million Civic Center, dedicated less than a year ago, has significant construction defects, city officials say, and the city is demanding extensive repairs from the general contractor.

The 133,000-square-foot complex has leaking ceilings, cracked walkways, missing railings, poorly fitted doors, outside decks that don’t drain properly and other problems that may cost millions of dollars to fix, officials say.

The city has threatened to sue Taylor Woodrow Construction California Ltd., in Costa Mesa, which had won the nearly $18-million contract to build the center, but both sides are trying to negotiate a settlement.

It’s not the first controversial project for Taylor Woodrow, which was fired last year from a $25-million road and parking garage contract for the John Wayne Airport expansion in Orange County. The contract was eight months behind schedule.

Defects at the Oceanside Civic Center, with its Moorish design, pond and colorful ornamentation, don’t pose a safety risk to 300 city employees or the public, according to city officials.

“There’s just a lot of little annoying, petty things that should have been corrected,” Mayor Larry Bagley said.

Glenn Prentice, the director of public services, said that every building of the complex has leaks, and that, during the recent heavy rains, “we covered up computers and work stations. There was some inconvenience and damage.”

He blames many problems on “poor workmanship”--things that “are not uncommon in construction, but there’s a lot of them here.”

Oceanside officials have given Taylor Woodrow lists of deficiencies over the months, and some repairs have been made, but Prentice said the firm has acted slowly.

“Their response has been either a slow response or no response,” he said.

The purported troubles with Taylor Woodrow go back before the multilevel Civic Center at 3rd and Hill streets in downtown Oceanside was dedicated on June 29.

City officials say the heating and air-conditioning system wasn’t completed when the Civic Center library opened in November, 1989, and remaining buildings were occupied the following March and June.

Taylor Woodrow became the general contractor in February, 1988, after competitive bidding. The contract was for nearly $18 million. The rest of the costs in the $33-million project were for design, furniture, bonded indebtedness and relocating condemned businesses from the site.

According to city officials, the project was finished at least six months late, and, Mayor Bagley said, “it was a real chore getting people down here” to work on the Civic Center.

He said Taylor Woodrow “put all their resources for a while in Orange County, on the airport job.”

After the Orange County Board of Supervisors fired Taylor Woodrow from the airport road and garage contract, the firm filed a lawsuit asking damages, claiming that the county was partly responsible for project delays.

However, the firm retained its main contract for construction of a $62-million passenger terminal at John Wayne Airport.

Oceanside is compiling a list of repairs needed at its Civic Center as part of negotiations with Taylor Woodrow. City officials say they don’t know yet how much it will cost to complete the work.

One source familiar with the controversy believes Oceanside has already given Taylor Woodrow a $2-million list of deficiencies, but city officials won’t confirm that figure.

Nor will Taylor Woodrow executives publicly discuss their differences with the city.

Chris Elliott, the firm’s project manager, told The Times, “It’s not our habit to talk to the press on issues where we’re trying to reach a settlement.”

City officials would only discuss the matter in general terms, hoping not to undermine a resolution.

“Everybody wants to settle it without litigation,” said Assistant City Atty. Debra Corbett. “The city and Taylor Woodrow are still working together to finish the project.”

Prentice said that Taylor Woodrow has its own grievance against Oceanside and is requesting payment for damages. “What Taylor Woodrow is saying is the city delayed the job, and it cost Taylor Woodrow $5.5 million,” Prentice said.

Although Oceanside and the contractor are trying to avoid a long and expensive lawsuit over the Civic Center, many suits have been filed over the project.

At least six subcontractors have filed suit in Vista Superior Court seeking more than $500,000 that Taylor Woodrow allegedly failed to pay for work on the Civic Center. Some of the suits have been partly or completely settled, according to court records.