ELYRIA — The county is shelling out $77,000 to have a masonry expert and a structural engineering firmexamine the entire outer shell of the county Justice Center.

BRUCE BISHOP | Chronicle

Inspectors check bricks on the face of the Lorain County Justice Center.

County Special Project Director Karen Davis said there have been numerous problems with the mortar and bricks on the seven-story building cracking because of what she blames on poor workmanship on the part of the subcontractor who handled the installation before the Justice Center opened in 2004.

“We hired a structural engineer, and they’re checking all four sides of the building to see what masonry issues we have,” Davis said.

Although Davis said no bricks have fallen from the building, the county has had to remove pieces to prevent them from tumbling to the ground. The county spent about $15,000 in 2006 to examine the situation and that led to the decision to conduct a more thorough examination of the $45 million building.

The problem, Davis said, is that when the masonry was installed, workers for North Canton-based Northern Valley Contracting Inc. did the job improperly and that has led to water seeping past the brick and mortar into the building.

The freezing and thawing of that water has weakened the mortar in many places, Davis said.

The county filed an $850,000 lawsuit against Northern Valley in April, accusing them of breach of contract and Davis said the county is refusing to release a bond the company took out as insurance on the work.

According to county records, Northern Valley was to receive $2.8 million for putting the brick up at the Justice Center.

Company officials could not be reached for comment Monday, but a corporate lawyer asked that the lawsuit be thrown out when it filed the company’s response in May. A status conference on the case is set for Friday, according to court records.

Davis said Northern Valley has been working with the county to fix the problem, although she didn’t know if they would be given the contract to make repairs. Exactly how much those repairs will cost won’t be known until after the masons and engineers complete their review. The physical inspection is expected to be finished by the end of the week, and Davis said it could take a month before a final report is completed.

This isn’t the only issue that has plagued the Justice Center. Other construction problems have led the county to sue other firms involved in the project, many of which have already been settled.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

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