U.S. Army Corps of Engineers terminates contract with troubled Ware's Creek contractor

BRADENTON -- The contractor responsible for delaying the $52.7 million Ware's Creek dredging and widening project for months has been fired.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers terminated its contract with Air Ideal Inc., from Winter Park, "for not meeting the terms of the contract," said Amanda Parker, the Corps public affairs specialist.

Parker said she could not comment further on the specifics of how Air Ideal failed to meet its contractual requirements. Work on Phase II, which includes dredging and widening of Ware's Creek from 17th Avenue West to 21st Avenue West, stalled months ago.

Bradenton Ward 3 Councilman Patrick Roff, who serves and resides in the Historic Ware's Creek neighborhood, previously told the Bradenton

Herald he believes there was a dispute between Air Ideal and the Corps regarding the amount of mud that needed be removed, and that Air Ideal wanted more money.

But a subcontractor working for Air Ideal said the issues were larger and started almost immediately.

"The main problem is Air Ideal didn't want to follow what needed to be done for this kind of work," said Chris Brown, owner of Siteworks of SW Florida, out of Myakka City. "They primarily do air-conditioning work and I wouldn't know how to install an air conditioner on top of a hospital, and he doesn't know about restricting the flow of a creek. He was constantly hindering the work because he kept trying ideas that I knew wouldn't work."

Siteworks arrived on the job in the middle of May and continued to work with the contractor through August, but Brown contends Air Ideal stopped paying him in June.

"I had a lot of hours on this job that I haven't seen a dime for," said Brown. "I talked to the Corps about why I was leaving in August and they said they don't blame me, that I had to do what I had to do to try to make sure this guy pays me."

Brown said he had four full-time employees on the job and took a big financial hit by trying to continue with Air Ideal.

Brown said he had no issues with the Corps and enjoyed working with them and would like to do so again, but said he believes the process took too long to get rid of Air Ideal. "Everybody went out of their way to help Air Ideal, but everyone also knew there were going to be issues as soon as they started," he said.

The three phases of the contract were awarded to different contractors and Phase I is complete, Phase III to Cortez Road is ongoing while Phase II is only 20 percent completed, according to Parker.

The first report of problems with Air Ideal occurred in April, when the Corps said that Phase II had fallen behind schedule by two months because of issues with the contractor. Recently, it reported that little to no work had been performed in the interim. In late-September, Parker said the Corps was attempting to resolve the issues with Air Ideal and would dismiss them from the job, if necessary.

Parker said Friday the Corps has secured the bond posted by Air Ideal and that it will be used to hire another contractor.

"But that process could take another couple of months," she said. That would put the project almost eight months behind schedule by the time work renews.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers terminates contract with troubled Ware's Creek contractor ."