Tulsa Center Plagued With Safety Issues

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The taxpayer-financed Tulsa Women and Children's Center has been plagued with numerous design, construction and repair problems since it opened in January 2003 that have placed

Sunday, December 24th 2006, 10:03 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The taxpayer-financed Tulsa Women and Children's Center has been plagued with numerous design, construction and repair problems since it opened in January 2003 that have placed residents at risk, records show.

Safety consultants found antifreeze dripping from ceiling sprinkler heads in food storage areas and a hot water system that occasionally spewed hot water into a walkway used by women and children, according to documents obtained by The Oklahoman.

Other problems detailed in reports include roof, ceiling and shower leaks, water dripping into light fixtures, sewer line backups, buckling shingles and floor tiles, mold and thermostat failures.

The $1.4 million, 52-bed center was built to give women a place to go for inpatient drug and alcohol treatment and take their children with them.

``Should they be mad? Yes,'' said David J. Brown, state facilities director for the state Department of Central Services, which oversaw bidding and construction of the project for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

A safety consultant who examined the building two months after it opened found antifreeze dripping from ceiling sprinkler heads installed for fire suppression.

``At the time of my inspection, the sprinkler heads located in the kitchen cooler and freezer were or had been leaking with vegetables and food directly below,'' safety consultant Gene Blansett wrote in a risk management loss prevention report. ``This condition is totally unacceptable.

Brown said the sprinkler head leaks were repaired.

Rob Lewis, Tulsa administrative officer for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, complained in internal memos of numerous design flaws in the center's hot water system in residential wings, which he said could have exploded because of improper plumbing installation.

Architect Joe L. Robinson of Tulsa was responsible for the project design and for monitoring construction, documents show. Records reveal Robinson lost his state architectural license partway through the project for failure to comply with continuing education requirements.

His license was canceled Aug. 1, 2001, but state Department of Central Services officials said they didn't learn of the cancellation until October 22, 2002, when the Tulsa project was substantially complete.

State officials discovered the licensing issue as they were looking into filing an insurance claim against Robinson, said Gerry Smedley, spokeswoman for the Department of Central Services. They also discovered his errors and omissions insurance had lapsed, she said.

``He not only violated the contract, he violated state law,'' Brown said.

Reached by telephone, Robinson said he was surprised to hear the center has had problems since it opened. He also was unaware he had received a poor evaluation. ``These evaluations were never brought to my attention,'' he said. ``Someone is covering their rear.'' Concerning his license, Robinson said ``I was coming up on retirement, and when I retired, I just didn't renew.''