Replies

Gantt denies any responsiblity for mold

DURHAM -- Charlotte architect Harvey Gantt denied Thursday that his firm was responsible for construction delays and flaws at several N.C. Central University buildings and said suggestions about what has caused mold to grow in two dorms he designed is speculation.

Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor and Senate candidate, said recent media coverage "jumps the gun" on what has caused mold in the dorms, which opened in 1999. He suggested that the aging steam heating system, which was hooked up to the building to heat water and appears to have caused mold in other older buildings, could be a culprit. He said officials knew when the building opened that there was a leak in the system.

"Nobody really knows," Gantt said. "There are people that are speculating out there."

Former NCCU Chancellor Julius Chambers agreed Thursday that observers should withhold judgment in the matter and also look at why the state didn't catch the problems.

"I think, number one, you ought to look further and see what was actually done," he said. "After the buildings were turned over, were the repairs made? What did [Gantt] sign off on? ... Did the state see the buildings? What did they sign off on?"

"I think it's unfair to single out one person. I think it's the state's responsibility."

Gantt's firm, Gantt Huberman Architects, has offered to bring in a mold expert to help find the cause, he said. "We think that's the appropriate way to do it, to have someone examine it and see what is causing the problem, rather than speculating."

Gantt also corrected an error in a Tuesday Herald-Sun story that said the university withheld his $1,004,260 fee for more than year while problems with the building were being resolved. In fact, Gantt already had been paid much of that fee and the university withheld only the final payment, which he said was $43,250. He maintained that the payment was withheld over a minor issue involving electronic card readers that didn't function properly, and he attributed that to the electrical contractor.

The Herald-Sun reported this week that NCCU officials knew shortly after Gantt's twin dorms opened that they were plagued with water leaks, climate-control problems and other defects. As the designer in charge of the dorms, Gantt personally signed off on the work.

Experts who inspected the dorms recently said it is infested with mold and moisture and may have to be partially gutted. The university expects to have a full assessment by Sept. 30.

Chambers, who served from 1993 to 2001 and is a longtime friend of Gantt's, said he recalls complaints being made about the new dorm buildings in 1999. But he said he thought repairs had been made and that the state approved the repairs.

"I think the [dorm complex] was inspected by the state. I think we had a problem initially and we closed a portion of the [complex] ... and made additional repairs," Chambers said. "I thought the building [complex] was approved by the state."

The Herald-Sun also reported that a second Gantt building at NCCU, the School of Education, which opened in 2000, ran into initial construction difficulties but that it has not been identified as having mold or any continuing problems.

Records show that electronic card readers, electrical work, telecommunications system and other fixtures weren't working properly and that the State Construction Office initially rejected Gantt's final report on the building and final request for payment. The university also complained for months that the building, scheduled to open in 1998, was too far behind schedule.

Gantt said Thursday that the delays were due to bad soil discovered at the beginning of the project and to contractors not being able to keep up with the schedule. He noted that his firm was paid an additional fee of more than $100,000 for its extra time on the project.

"We had worked on the project almost two years longer than would have been the case," he said. "The delay and completion of the building had nothing to do with the architect."

"I don't know that anybody was upset with us with the level of effort we were giving," he added.

Project documents show that there were disputes among the parties working on it. The electrical consultant, Regency Electric, blamed Gantt Huberman for faulty design and filed a claim against the state seeking $373,839.44 in additional payment. The claim was settled, with Regency accepting $180,000. The company also was refunded $14,300 in fines it was assessed over delays.

Also, letters between NCCU and Gantt at the time of construction show an increasing level of frustration from the university.

In July 1999, NCCU Physical Plant Director Edward Eng wrote that Gantt's firm "may be lacking in its performance of the design agreement ... The university is extremely concerned about the level of effort given to the successful and timely completion of this project by [Gantt Huberman Architects] and its subconsultants."

In another letter dated May 2000 -- sent to Gantt after the school's Board of Trustees voiced concerns -- Arthur Smart, the school's building systems engineer, wrote again that the university was "very displeased" with the building's progress, calling some delays "totally unacceptable."