Union dispute delays work on garage

For the second time in less than two months, the completion of the parking garage at 38th and Walnut Streets has been delayed, Vice President of Facilities Management Arthur Gravina said last night. Originally, the department planned to open the garage immediately following winter break. The new scheduled date for completion is January 30, Gravina said. Labor disputes between the insulators and carpenters caused the delay, Gravina said. Both groups felt it was within their jurisdiction to take care of the insulation involved in the garage and the chill-water plant -- a facility that will be housed in the garage. The insulators picketed, and all workers involved in the project supported them by refusing to cross the picket line. "It cost us three or four weeks," Gravina said. "There's been a significant slack in construction? but now it has been resolved." Before the dispute began, the parking lot and chiller plant were scheduled to open immediately after winter break. The dispute was resolved last week and work began immediately after almost a month of stagnation, Physical Plant Executive Director James Wargo said. "We only have a small list of items left to do," he added. The project was launched in the spring of 1993 as a replacement for the lot at 36th and Walnut Streets. Administrators thought they would need to replace the lot because they had planned to build the Revlon Center there. Since then, however, the new administration decided to delay and research all capital projects -- including the building of the Revlon Center -- until they could investigate capital planning issues more thoroughly. Although construction on the garage continued, it was delayed for the first time at the beginning of December to take care of last minute details and mechanical problems, Business Services Vice President Steve Murray said. At the time, the fire alarm system did not pass proper testing procedures as well, Transportation and Mail Services Director Robert Furniss said. Gravina said labor disputes such as the insulators' picket happen frequently, but do not usually last this long. Extended delays occasionally occur when unemployment is higher, Gravina added. "Now, they are not about turn their heads when they see a possible jurisdiction problem," he said. The garage, once completed, will fit approximately 650 spaces in six levels of parking. Eventually, it will also include several stores such as Campus Copy Center, Joseph Anthony Hairstyling, Thrift Drug and Mail Boxes, Etc. According to Wargo, the garage will open before the stores do, although the stores should open before the end of the semester. The chill-water plant, now scheduled to open in February, will be able to chill water more cost effectively. It was designed to service new buildings, such as the Law School, the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Revlon Center. Gravina said inspectors continue to conduct tests on the facilities, although it is "substantially complete." He added that since the chill-water plant is designed to produce ice during the night at lower electricity rates, it is used less during the winter. Therefore, there is no immediate rush to complete the plant, he said.