Feb. 15, 2008, 2:28PM


HARTFORD, Conn. — State officials have sued contractors and architects for more than $15 million to reimburse Connecticut for construction problems at the University of Connecticut Law Library.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, flanked by University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan and Law School Dean Jeremy Paul, said at a news conference Friday that the construction was "shoddy and substandard."
The $24 million library, which Hogan said was intended to be a landmark when it opened in Hartford in 1996, has instead been plagued by leaks and mold. Its stone facade had to be removed and reattached to the building because its anchors started to loosen, causing a potential safety problem.
An independent architectural firm discovered shoddy workmanship that left the signature facade so vulnerable it could blow off in a heavy windstorm.
The 15 defendants in the state's lawsuit include the building's designers, contractors, suppliers, inspectors and others.
"These companies did shoddy and substandard work, sticking the law school with a building riddled with leaks, cracks and defects," Blumenthal said.
Paul said teaching and studying at the library have been disrupted by a reconstruction project that involves drilling, scaffolding and protective measures for those who use the building.
"The repair work takes a daily toll on the operation on the school," he said.
In addition, Hogan said the university has been forced to divert money from other funds to pay for the reconstruction, which began last year.
Raymond Garcia, a New Haven lawyer who represents Hartford-based Lombardo Mason Contractors, a defendant in the lawsuit, said his client performed the work according to the state's plans and specifications.
Work was approved each day by the architect, construction manager and representatives of UConn and state Department of Public Works, Garcia said.
"I don't care what they say," he said. "The inspection report every day was signed by four people."
A spokeswoman for Gilbane Building Co. in Providence, R.I., a contractor being sued, said the company has not seen the lawsuit and would not comment.
Jim McManus, chairman of S/L/A/M Collaborative, a Glastonbury architectural firm named in the lawsuit, also said he has not seen the lawsuit and would not comment.
The lawsuit accused the firms of negligence, breach of contract, product liability, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5545509.html
 
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