Council: Recovery plan wanted

Portales city councilors are demanding that action be taken by the New Mexico Department of Transportation to make sure U.S. 70 reconstruction project contractor Constructors, Inc. is held accountable for not being on schedule.

City officials feel powerless in the progress of the $8.3 million project that has reduced the highway to one-lane roads since May, causing traffic burdens at several intersections.

Councilors expressed their concerns, especially as the project nears the Portales downtown area in the next few months, to NMDOT Project Manager Pat Garcia at a council meeting Tuesday.

"The 300 calendar days they have is the time we allotted them to complete all that work," Garcia said. "They're saying with their bid, they will complete all that work in the specified time."

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Portales city councilors are worried about citizens not having access to these businesses on Second Street when the U.S. 70 reconstruction project reaches the downtown area. Reconstruction project officials confirmed they will have to pour concrete in front of these stores causing temporary obstruction of the entrances.

City Councilor Matt Hunton expressed his disappointment in the time lost during the winter months where he felt construction workers could have been doing other tasks to expedite the process. He asked Garcia why the contractor had not been penalized for the delays.

Garcia said Constructors, Inc. was granted a suspension of 60 calendar days from January to March, but he said at the rate they're going, he does not believe the project will be completed on time and consequences may follow.

"We're asking for a plan," Garcia said. "We're taking more drastic measures to make sure they comply."

But Constructors, Inc. Project Manager John Guldemann said he's confident the job will be done in the time proposed.

"We have over half the dating (of 300 days) left on the schedule, so it shouldn't be a problem," Guldemann said.

Garcia, however said Constructors, Inc., is asking for extra working days, citing city utilities have held them up as well as the extra days taken to pump rain out of the construction zone.

"They need to give us enough specifications so that we're not out there giving them time for nothing," Garcia said.

Garcia said he does not know the exact penalties for not meeting the completion time, but he said he's seen some as high as $3,000 a day for each day the project is late.

Councilors expressed the most concern about the delays affecting the time the project is in the downtown area and because the project entails the rebuilding of the sidewalks, they want to know how Constructors, Inc. will guarantee access into those businesses along Second Street.

"That's hitting these businesses at the highest selling time, it will be real detrimental," said Portales Mayor Sharon King.

Garcia said he plans to propose solutions to Guldemann such as having them work on a night schedule, but ultimately he said the NMDOT cannot tell them how to do their job.

"We can't dictate how they do it; all we make sure of is that they do the work correctly according to plan or better," Garcia said. "We suggest ways, but they don't necessarily have to take them."

King suggested they skip the downtown area until after the Christmas shopping season, but Guldemann said he does not plan to deviate from his order of operations.

"We're going to try to move through there as quickly as we can," Guldemann said. "It should put us there around May probably until November."

He says he has ways to provide access to businesses when the sidewalks are torn up, such as using platforms, but there will be periods of no access when they pour concrete in front of stores.

"We're just going to do our best," Guldemann said.

Communication with local business owners was also a point of concern for councilors.

Garcia said communication has been poor and he's tired of he and Guldemann not being on the same page, especially when he tells the public one thing and Guldemann another.

"Communication to the public should all fall on the contractor but we're stepping up because I'm a local guy," Garcia said. "It kind of makes my credibility go down the drain. I'm trying to make them stand up to their word."

Guldemann said he communicates with businesses before they head into their area weeks in advance and plans to continue to do that.

"We make our presence known," Guldemann said. "There's not much else I can do. I just give as much notice as I can."

King is planning a meeting for later this month with Constructors, Inc., the NMDOT and business owners.