New courthouse in Cape needs roof replaced

The roof on Cape Girardeau's new and still unoccupied $50 million U.S. courthouse doesn't meet the government's quality standards and needs to be replaced, federal building officials said Thursday.

The news comes amid lingering delays in opening the four-story, 154,000-square-foot Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse on Independence Street.

Officials with the General Services Administration, the agency that oversees construction and operation of federal buildings, said the roof won't be replaced until after the new courthouse opens.

The rubber-membrane roof doesn't leak, but GSA spokesman Charlie Cook said agency staff worry that the roof may not hold up for the long term.

"The roof was never really accepted as far as quality goes," he said. "It has some patches on it now, so it is weathertight, not leaking."

Cook said the GSA has no figures yet on what it would cost to replace the roof. It's still unclear whether the roofing contractor will have to foot the bill or whether any of the cost would be borne by taxpayers.

The GSA refused to identify the roofing contractor, citing ongoing negotiations with the company.

The courthouse project has experienced a number of delays and construction problems. "We had schedule slips all along the way with this building," Cook said.

The building required additional foundation piers. Rising steel prices added to the cost, Cook said.

But the courthouse in Cape Girardeau isn't the only federal building project to be plagued with delays. "We run into issues all across the country," Cook said.

The GSA offered no explanation as to why the roofing problem occurred, nor why the agency didn't address the issue sooner.

"We can't place the blame on why the roof wasn't done up to quality, but we will take care of it," Cook said.

The quality of the roof has been in question from the time it was finished, Cook said.

The roof and other exterior work was completed months ago. A GSA official said in January that all exterior work had been completed. No mention was made of any roof problem at that time.

Cook said accepting an inadequately constructed roof would lead to more costs for the GSA. "So we have to make sure as far as due diligence that we get the value for the taxpayers," he said.

Replacing the roof shouldn't cause any further delays in opening the courthouse, he said.

However, federal officials still haven't decided when the new courthouse will open, Cook said, adding that agency officials hope to set a date soon.

So far, delays have pushed the courthouse opening back at least four times.

In early May, GSA regional administrator Brad Scott said the courthouse was "substantially complete." But late in July, the GSA said it was unlikely the building would be in operation this month.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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