Builders Tour Half-Finished Center : Simi Valley: Inspection of the project site is part of reopened bidding. The city fired the contractor two weeks ago, alleging poor management.

Slogging through sticky mud and ankle-deep puddles at the half-completed Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center on Monday, four potential builders inspected the site as they prepared to bid on completing the stalled project.

It has been two weeks since the city fired the center’s general contractor because of alleged poor management. The tour of the site, led by a consultant hired to find a new builder for the $2.6-million job, is the first step in getting the project back on track by early February.

“We would like to get this project started again as soon as possible,” said Mark Albertson of Forcon International, an Irvine-based consulting company. “It is an unfortunate situation and we’re doing our best to get it turned around.”

In August, the city signed a contract with a Van Nuys-based builder who agreed to complete the renovation of the 70-year-old church by the end of next month.

But the project stalled when work had to be redone and subcontractors refused to complete assignments until overdue payments were made, said Bob Heitzman, deputy city manager.

The city had already made $630,000 in payments before firing the contractor. And an insurance company that bonded the contractor agreed to cover expenses above the original $2.6-million bid incurred in completing the job, Heitzman said.

New contractors interested in completing the project have until Jan. 20 to submit bids. Once the bids are in, the city will have a better idea of when the project will be completed.

*

The wet, desolate site toured by contractors Monday was in striking contrast to the bustling and banging evident at the location throughout the fall.

“We had hoped to have all the doors and windows in by now,” said Heitzman, peering through one of the arched spaces designed to hold a stained glass window. “We are all working to make sure this gets back on track as soon as possible.”

One of the companies planning to bid on the project is HMH Construction, a Camarillo-based business that recently completed work on the Edwards Cinema there.

Balancing on a slab of soggy plywood, Arlyn Olson, an estimator for HMH, offered his philosophy on completing half-finished work.

“The most important thing when you’re taking over a project is to take a close look at what has already been done,” he said. “You end up being responsible for it, so you want to make sure it was done right.”

A city employee will be at the site several days during the next two weeks to ensure that the applicants have plenty of time to examine the condition of the property, Heitzman said.