Union bricklayers are no longer on the job site of the county's new administration building which ultimately may lead to another delay of the project. St. Louis Bricklayers Local 1 began a strike June 1 after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Masons Contractors Association of St. Louis. Following multiple delays due to a variety of reasons, including weather, the labor situation is the latest to hamper the project which has had its share of critics from the start. Construction has been ongoing on the county's 36,670-square-foot facility since October. The county's new facility will house all non-court related offices. The building is being constructed on 3 acres the county purchased in 2009 on South Highway 47 and Mockingbird Lane in Warrenton. Construction is expected to be complete in April 2012. John J. Smith Masonry, of St. Louis, is the contractor in charge of the project's masonry work and a member of the Masons Contractors Association. According to Greg Drake of Septagon, the project's construction manager, crews from the company had started some masonry work last month, but were told to leave the job site May 31. During Monday's monthly construction update, Drake reported "work on the site has not been adversely affected, although a few things are being worked out to minimize the impact." The start of the strike coincided with the expiration of the bricklayers' five-year contract with the contractors, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The newspaper also said compensation and work rules are the primary negotiating points separating both sides. This is not the first time the two sides have been involved in a dispute over a contract. The bricklayers staged a five-day strike in 2006. Nick Smith of Septagon told county commissioners Monday contracts are being reviewed to see if any language covers a work stoppage caused by a strike. For now, however, he commented that "our hands are tied right now." Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner feels the masonry company should be obligated to finish its ongoing project. "A contract is signed and nobody is working," he said. "There are only a few (professional) fields where you could see that happen. It's not the right way to do business in my opinion." The building project is estimated to cost $6.5 million and is being funded out of the county's capital improvement fund. Drilling of Geothermal Wells Nearly Complete Following delays due to weather and equipment issues, the subcontractor drilling wells for the geothermal heating and cooling system is nearly finished. As of Monday, Drake noted that only five of 70 wells still needed to be drilled. During last month's construction update, 21 wells remained. Initially, the wells were expected to be completed by early February. Once all the wells are drilled, Heggemann Plumbing will start connecting the piping from each well. Drake noted that work on erecting the exterior metal studs and trusses is complete, the window framing is nearly finished and work on the structural roof deck will be starting soon. The roof canopy will also be framed while the iron workers are on site. Drake also reported the installation of stormwater and sanitary lines will be started soon after being delayed by weather a couple of weeks ago. Change Orders Approved Also at Monday's construction update, the county commission unanimously approved five change orders totaling $14,688.20. The most expensive change was $5,275.50 for Hawkins Construction, which is the contractor for the building concrete, structural steel, exterior framing and trusses. Some of the extra costs covered the need to pour lean concrete in an area adjacent to the elevator pit due to wet materials and an area around the brick shelf and pilasters where the foundation rebar had to be refabricated. It will also cost $4,840 more to have a night depository installed at the collector's office so payments can be dropped off. That expense includes having a doorbell installed and casework modifications to the vault. The other change orders were for having snow guards added onto the roof, electrical, casework and other modifications to the health department, mail room and emergency management agency's offices, and moving a canopy to avoid conflicts with the structure and wall construction.