Task Force Formed To Advise On Faulty Oregon Building

Officials in Marion County, Ore., announced they are forming a task force to meet in January that will advise them on a course of action in the wake of myriad structural and construction flaws on the $34-million, 163,000-sq-ft Salem Courthouse Square and its adjacent bus mall. Officials have deemed the five-story, concrete-framed building unsafe, forcing the relocation earlier this year of 300 occupants. A preliminary report by David Evans and Associates says columns inside the structure are not large enough to handle the loads, and that slabs, which contain inadequate post-tensioning, are not thick enough. The report also claims faulty materials were used in construction. The project’s architect, Arbuckle Costic Architects Inc., says apparent deficiencies in the post-tensioned structural design are the fault of the project’s structural engineer, Century West. Pence/Kelly Construction, the general contractor, was not available for comment. A final engineering report is expected in January.