SEATTLE – Seahawks Stadium has had leaks in about 50 places since the partially enclosed concrete and steel structure was built nearly two years ago, the public agency in charge of the building acknowledges.
About $100,000 in repairs remain to be completed by the contractor, First &Goal Inc., said Steve Woo, project manager for the Washington State Public Stadium Authority.
“In a $430 million project, we’re down to the last $100,000 worth of work, so it’s not that unusual. We just want to make our statement as the landlord that we want to get this fixed and move on,” Woo said.
If the leaks go unrepaired, the stadium authority may hire a construction company to complete the work and bill it to First &Goal, Woo said.
On Wednesday, the agency’s board sent First &Goal a letter demanding that the work be done. First &Goal was founded by Seahawks owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to manage development and operation of the stadium.
Buckets catch dripping rainwater, and ceiling tiles are stained brown from water pooling over coaches’ and administrative offices, in locker rooms and in the Sea Gals cheerleaders’ dressing room, officials said.
Most of the playing field is open to the sky, but a roof covers most of the seating.
Ray Colliver, a project manager with First &Goal, previously said the leaks would be fixed by the end of this month, but as of Wednesday several remained, Woo said.
The letter said board members are concerned that waterproofing could be unfinished before a two-year warranty on the building expires in June.
The first leaks were noticed in September 2002, months after the stadium opened. Two months ago First &Goal had the builder, Turner Construction, install temporary patches, metal pans and gutters where water was entering the stadium.
Turner general manager Tom Gerlach Jr. referred calls to Colliver, who did not return a telephone call to The News Tribune of Tacoma on Wednesday.
In a letter to the stadium authority board on Jan. 23, Colliver wrote that a consultant had been hired to review the problem.
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