Contractors under fire for missing deadline
Wednesday March 10 2010
DUBLIN-based contractors Pierce's have come under renewed criticism for their failure to finish work on the new County Hall and the civic offices in Gorey on schedule. The charge was led by Cllr. Malcolm Byrne who commented that the delays had become a joke. He predicted that the new June deadline for the County Hall would not be met and wondered aloud whether someone else could be brought in to complete the work.
'The contractor has strung us along,' he complained. 'How long more are we going to suffer this appalling procedure?'
Labour's George Lawlor noted that at least the two jobs appeared to be crawling along. County manager Eddie Breen said he shared the frustration expressed by elected members.
Building work in both Gorey and Wexford, should have been finished long ago, he remarked. He pointed out that, under the terms of penalty clauses, it was in the interest of Pierce's to conclude the contract as quickly as possible. He assured councillors that any money which had been paid was for work done, not advance payment, and that the sites had not been abandoned. Work was progressing every day, he continued, though not at the rate that he would like.
Cllr. Byrne's impatience was not shared by Labour's Robbie Ireton who reckoned that the new council offices in Gorey are now 'near enough finished'. The nearby library only needed shelving before it too would be complete, he added.
