PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles gave the go-ahead to Primo Construction to finish The Gateway on Friday, but the jury is still out on what to do with the cracked concrete — which has held up the downtown project — and who is responsible.

A stop-work notice, issued on Nov. 21 for the project budgeted at $14.7 million, was lifted on Thursday by Nathan West, city building official and economic and community development director.

The city and Clallam Transit received $8.1 million in state and federal grants for the joint project located at Front and Lincoln streets and Railroad Avenue.

It includes a transit center, parking garage, pavilion and police substation.

The stop-work notice was put in place to keep Primo from pouring a second slab of concrete on the plaza floor in the project’s pavilion.

The city’s concern was that the pavilion would not be able to withstand the additional weight because of cracking in its eastern foundation wall that radiated underneath a horizontal support beam.

Concerns relieved

But city staff say that their concerns have been relieved by a report from Berger/Abam Engineers Inc. of Federal Way that the city received on Wednesday.

Berger/Abam’s review of the structure was certified by Robert Mast, a state professional engineer.

“Mr. Mast has conducted multiple review of the structure and has concluded placing of the ‘topping’ is a reasonable course of action,” West said in a memo to Jim Mahlum, city project manager for The Gateway.

Said Clallam Transit General Manager Terry Weed: “It’s a big hurdle that we finished.”

Glenn Cutler, city public works director, and Weed said on Friday that they don’t know when Primo can begin and finish pouring the second slab of concrete, which allows for water drainage and will include a design pattern.

Weed said he will meet with Primo project managers on Monday to determine when that work can begin.

Primo has had a skeleton crew of one or two people doing occasional work at The Gateway while the structural integrity of the pavilion is analyzed.

“They are going to have to mobilize their crew,” Weed said.

“I’m not sure what that will involve.”

Cause, repair unknown

Although the city says it is safe for additional weight, such as the concrete, to be added to the pavilion, it remains unknown what needs to be done to repair its eastern foundation wall.

Steve Sperr, city engineer, said earlier this month that the cracking is a structural issue, but Cutler wouldn’t say if a structural repair is needed.

“I wouldn’t want to categorize it as structural or aesthetic,” Cutler said.

“I don’t have the fix from the structural engineer. It could be a combination of different things.”

Cutler said Krei Architecture of Auburn, which designed The Gateway, and the engineer of record, Bright Engineering, Inc. of Seattle, are still working to determine the cause of the cracking and the proper fix.

Without knowing the cause, responsibility cannot be determined, Cutler said.

Clallam Transit attorney Craig Miller hired Berger/Abam in December.

Weed said that Berger/Abam’s role is to provide an independent analysis of the cracking.

Miller said he hired Berger/Abam for both engineering and legal consultation, but declined on Friday to go into more detail.

“I can say that in addition to wanting to get the project going, there are a number of other issues related to the delay, which have legal components,” he said.

Cutler said comments on Berger/Abam’s contract would have to come from Miller, and not him.

Consultant cost

Miller said that Berger/Abam, which has billed him $13,815 for its services, remains a consultant on the project.

He said he will request that the Clallam Transit board reimburse him for those expenses at the board’s Feb. 16 meeting.

If the board approves reimbursement, the money would have to come from the city because of its interlocal agreement for the project with Clallam Transit.

The agreement says that the city would cover additional costs if Clallam Transit has spent its grant funding and $500,000 contribution.

Weed said those funds have been spent.

Cutler said he can’t say if the project will end up over budget because of the delay until compensation for Primo, which ran out of contracted working days in mid-November, and costs for Berger/Abam and Zenovic and Associates — the city’s engineering consultant — are determined.

City Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski said in November that the project had exceeded its $13.8 million estimate, but had not gone over its $14.7 million budget.

The city’s contribution to The Gateway is about $6.1 million.

Condemnation lawsuit

Another issue with The Gateway that still needs to be resolved is a property condemnation lawsuit to determine just compensation for Anh Voang, the owner of 6,960-square-feet of property where the pavilion now sits.

Clallam Transit has used grant funding to acquire property for The Gateway, and it’s not clear if compensation to Voang, estimated at $280,000, is still available or would require additional funding.

The issue of just compensation for the property, which Clallam Transit received immediate possession and use for on Aug. 30, 2006, is scheduled to be resolved in Jefferson County Superior Court on March 30.

The case is being held in Jefferson County to avoid a conflict of interest.

Voang has said Clallam Transit’s appraisal of the property is too low.

She also owns the adjacent Harbortowne Mall.

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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.