After meetings with managers of Gonzales Construction, Inc. this Tuesday, County officials expect that its contractor will not complete the repaving of its eastern parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach by the end of the month, as previously scheduled. County officials do expect that its pre-February deadline will hold for its two other projects, including the renovation of the L.A. County Lifeguard’s Headquarters. Having rebuilt its exterior, construction crews are installing the electrical system as well as finishing its interior. The adjacent public restrooms have been redesigned and largely reconstructed. The barebones interior is nearly complete and crews are laying tile on its roof. Construction began in December 2005 with the expectation that the County’s $12-million project would be complete by May 2007. But the discovery of a city-owned sewer main in the beach’s eastern parking lot delayed construction for four months there and has continued to slow work on the lot, said Mike Patel, one of the County’s project managers overseeing construction. Although County crews fortified the sewer main to prevent damage during construction, crews are not using regular-size equipment to grade the eastern parking lot because they could damage the main. Final grading of the lot began this week, prior to paving. Refurbishment of the County parking lot west of Gladstone’s hit a snag in mid-December. Ground water was discovered at a higher level than expected, which delayed construction until this week. The parking lot there is expected to be completed by the end of February, one month later than scheduled, Patel said. ————– Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. To contact, e-mail: reporter@palipost.com
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