Columnist Jeff German: After delay, justice is served

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

County officials are about to take total control of the Regional Justice Center, the much-delayed "project from hell."

They're looking to kick the slow-moving general contractor, AF Construction, off the jobsite and assign county workers to finish work on the 17-story complex, which is more than three years behind schedule.

Given the publicly financed project's sorry history, this isn't exactly a big surprise.

"It's a natural progression when you have a contractor who is inept," says one county commissioner. "We're going to do the rest of the work ourselves."

What this means is that moving trucks aren't far behind, and relief at long last is in store for the clogged justice system.

In case the never-ending delays have clouded your memory, the Regional Justice Center is supposed to bring the entire justice system under one roof and make it more convenient for the public.

County officials have set a goal of moving people into the $185 million downtown high-rise starting on Oct. 1.

First to set up shop will be the Nevada Supreme Court, which will occupy posh, mahogany-laden surroundings with private outdoor balconies on the 17th floor.

The district judges, who have more modest courtrooms (but also their own private bathrooms) on the 11th through 16th floors, will likely be next, as officials work their way down to the ground level.

The process of moving in will take about a month.

The Oct. 1 date was confirmed by County Manager Thom Reilly in an April 11 letter to the high court.

"You should be aware that the county has undertaken certain activities to shorten the timeline for move-in once the TCO (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy) is issued by the city of Las Vegas," Reilly told the court.

Those activities, he wrote, include moving in furniture ahead of time, awarding the cafeteria contract and firming up the building's security plans.

Booting AF Construction is also part of the plan.

Aviation Director Randy Walker, who has been keeping watch over the general contractor's sloppy work for the county, planned to ask the County Commission today for permission to remove the company from the project.

The move is seen as the quickest way to occupy the building -- which makes me wonder why county officials didn't think of doing this earlier.

For months now AF Construction, already in arbitration with the county over the cost of its work, has refused to fix myriad defects, including 37 water leaks, throughout the marble and sandstone that adorn the building

By removing the company from the project, the county can take care of the leaks itself and do the other things necessary to make the high-rise fit to conduct the public's business. The air conditioning, sprinkler and electrical systems all need to be thoroughly tested, and the building has to be checked for mold.

As far as I can tell, the county has just one potential downside for bouncing AF Construction from the jobsite.

If the county doesn't start moving into the Regional Justice Center on Oct. 1 as promised, it will have no one but itself to blame.