City Council has authorized City Attorney Dan Mantzaris to bring in litigation attorney Tom Neal, a partner with DSK Law, to help the City pursue legal action against the contractor that built the downtown phase 2 renovation project.
“In order to best advance the City’s rights given the current status of the project, we recommend that Tom Neal be retained as Special Litigation Counsel for the City in this matter,” City Attorney Dan Mantzaris told City Council at Thursday night’s meeting. “Our goal is to get this resolved as quickly as possible.”
Assistant City Manager Dave Tomek noted that the City is currently involved in pre-litigation mediation and is committed to making sure the City gets the quality completed project it paid for.
The City hired Cathcart Construction to build phase 2 of the downtown renovation, including new utilities infrastructure, new sidewalks, brick streets, and decorative lighting, on Pennsylvania Avenue and on 10th Street. The brick streets, however, have large gaps between the bricks and numerous potholes.
“We understand the public’s frustration; we are not satisfied with the results either,” Tomek said. “By virtue of City Council authorizing us to bring in a litigation specialist, it is clear that the City is committed to doing whatever it takes to make this situation right and to ensure the finished product is one we can all be proud of.”
