Fate of senior center
is still up in the air

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

It looks like the roof is caving in on the new Rhawnhurst Recreation and Northeast Older Adult centers.
Project officials expected to open the facility, at Bustleton and Solly avenues, shortly after Memorial Day weekend. Now, problems with the roof have caused them to push back the opening date yet again.
This time, they’re not even setting a new date.
Rick Tustin, the city’s top capital-budget official, said the materials on the senior center portion of the roof are not fitting together properly. The issue has created a faulty slope and a roof leak, he said.
Tustin claims that Bock Construction, the lead contractor for the project, never submitted or obtained approval for shop drawings of the roof. He believes that improper materials were ordered.
"We continue to have ongoing talks with the contractor about the work that he’s doing," Tustin said. "That’s the last thing we want to do is have a nice building built and then have a roof leak. We told him to start over. Now we have an inferior product. The contractor is balking and saying, ‘It’s not my problem, it’s a bad design.’"
The project has been besieged by problems ranging from union strikes to delays in the delivery of material during its two-year construction period.
Its conception began more than 20 years ago, when the senior center, presently located on the 7500 block of Castor Ave., determined that it would need more space for members. Officials from the Department of Recreation decided to put the building on the site of the recreation center, whose facility is getting a gym and other renovations.
Tom Bock, president of the construction company, says that the city is in part to blame for the botched work and delays. He points to procedural issues where the city failed to submit change order requests and pay the company on time, he said.
Bock, who also has four subcontractors working on the job, said he has paid about $500,000 out of pocket for the project, originally estimated at about $5 million.
"I’m tired of not being paid in a timely way, of invoices not being processed on time," said Bock, who grew up in Burholme. "We’re paying people, we’re not getting paid. It’s been a nightmare."
Bock says he’s eager to get the centers opened for the community and is willing to meet with residents regarding the delays.
"I absolutely do not fault the families or parents or residents of Rhawnhurst for their frustrations," he said
Tustin mentioned, but did not confirm, the possibility that the city will seek recourse against Bock for the project delay. Options include putting the company in default and canceling its contract through its insurance carrier. Bock said his company might seek its own legal action.
Dan Bucher, president of the Rhawnhurst Athletic Association, says he’s tired of postponing sporting events and scrounging for other space to play on while Bock and the city iron out their issues.
"They’re not even giving us a date," Bucher said. "We usually have an event on the Fourth of July and now it doesn’t look like it’s happening."
Tustin said the city will continue to accommodate the group as best it can by offering portable toilets and field space so that members can at least use the fields surrounding the facility.
Sam Luciano, president of the advisory council at the older adult center, said the tardy debut of the new facility has members asking questions nearly every day.
"As the president, I get hit every day (with), ‘When are we going to get this?’" Luciano said. "What a botched-up thing to me." ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com