The Jefferson Parish Council is considering placing the Performing Arts Center contractor in default, while parish officials also try to negotiate an agreement with the company to finish the job. What should they do?
The Jefferson Parish Council and the Performing Arts Center contractor are set to discuss the embattled project during the council meeting Wednesday, May 1. The council is considering whether to authorize placing contractor Joe Caldarera in default, while parish officials also try to negotiate an agreement with Caldarera to finish the job.
Officials have faced increased pressure to complete the project, which began in 2007 and was supposed to take two years and cost $26 million. It's now four years late and it's expected to cost almost $54 million under an agreement the parish and Caldarera are negotiating.
Officials and Caldarera have been publicly at odds in recent days, after most council members last week that they would vote for a proposed resolution authorizing Parish Attorney Deborah Foshee to put Caldarera in default if negotiations break down.
Wednesday's meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. at the parish General Government Building, 200 Derbigny St., Gretna.
Foshee has said the parish and Caldarera "are coming to terms," and are close to an agreement. Caldarera has said the deal would pay him $9.75 million and give him a year to complete the arts center. He has said he's owed $12.8 million and is giving taxpayers "a $3 million discount."
Caldarera has also said the delays were caused by more than 500 design changes requested by the parish - many of them to fix problems in the original arts center design. He said the parish has no basis to put him on default.
What should parish officials do?