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Perini says it's 'willing and able' to complete Harmon tower
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The general contractor that oversaw construction of the CityCenter development says it is "willing and able" to finish the Harmon Tower. » Buy this photo
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The Harmon is shown Wednesday from the 66th floor of the east tower of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Perini Building Co. says it is "100 percent confident" the tower is safe. K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jul. 16, 2011 | 9:18 a.m.
Perini Building Co., the general contractor that oversaw construction of the $8.5 billion CityCenter development, told Clark County officials Friday it is "willing and able" to complete the unfinished Harmon tower, which a structural engineer says could collapse in a major earthquake.
In letters to Clark County Commission Chairwoman Susan Brager and Clark County Building Official Ron Lynn, the construction company disputes the findings of structural engineering firm Weidlinger Associates. Weidlinger, which is based in Marina Del Rey, Calif., cited "pervasive and varied" construction defects in the tower and said it would take 12 to 14 months to determine if the 27-story Harmon could even be repaired.
Weidlinger was brought in to evaluate the Harmon by CityCenter co-developer MGM Resorts International at the request of Clark County building officials who wanted a third party to look at the building. The county wanted another opinion after building division consultant William P. Moore Structural Engineers concluded the Harmon "suffered from certain vulnerabilities."
Perini President Craig Shaw said the company, which is still the building permit holder for Project CityCenter, hired another structural engineering firm, John A. Martin & Associates, to evaluate the Harmon's tower and podium and come up with a plan to fix the troubled building.
Perini, however, never directly says the company would cover the cost of fixing the Harmon.
"Like you, safety is of paramount concern to our company," Shaw said. "We would not commit that Harmon tower is safe if we were not 100 percent confident of this fact."
Shaw disputes claims by Weidlinger that the Harmon could crumble.
"The Harmon tower is no danger of partial or complete collapse even in the event of a 'code-level' earthquake," Shaw said.
In an emailed statement Friday, Clark County Director of Public Communications Erik Pappa said, "Our practice is to communicate with the building's owner, not their former agents or former contractors."
On Tuesday, Lynn told CityCenter's developers they had until Aug. 15 to devise a strategy for either repairing or demolishing the building.
Lynn said the development, which is 50-50 owned by MGM Resorts and Dubai World, is required to "provide a plan of action that will abate the potential for structural collapse and protect" neighboring buildings and businesses along the Strip.
MGM Resorts spokesman Gordon Absher said the company's goal is to comply with the county's directive so that a proper assessment can be made on the Harmon
"Perini's continued requests to fix the Harmon is like the director of 'Ishtar' demanding a sequel," Absher said in reference to one of the biggest Hollywood movie bombs of all time. "CityCenter has absolutely zero confidence or trust that Perini can and will properly fix a building it has so badly constructed thus far."
Shaw said the Harmon "presents no risk to public safety."
Perini is locked in a Clark County District Court lawsuit with MGM Resorts concerning nonpayment for work on CityCenter and construction defects with the Harmon.
Conceived as a 47-story luxury hotel and condominium tower, the Harmon was scaled back in size and scope and eventually mothballed after building inspectors discovered structural defects in 2008.
Building inspectors found that structural work on the Harmon did not match plans submitted to Clark County. The construction issues involved improperly placed steel reinforcing bar, commonly known as rebar.
In his letter to the county, Shaw said Perini and Martin would address both the "major design deficiencies and the minor construction defects" and bring the Harmon in code compliance.
Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
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Willing and able, huh? To finnish it. Hmmmmmmmmm But if they finnish it, will anyone want to buy into it or stay there. That is the question.
Whistle, whistle... "look for,... the UNION label".. whistle, whistle!
Yes, Tom Farr is correct. I remember when they halted the Mandalay Bay project because they said it was sinking. They had to pump tons of concrete into the base just to stop it. This was after it was already 'topped out'. Yet, people still go there. I would NOT want to be in the Mandalay Bay if a 6.5+ earthquake ever hit our valley. The only reason this Harmon Tower is even being talked about right now is that it was the last leg of the project and MGM RAN OUT OF MONEY to complete it. They had the inspectors lined up and paid for. NOW the truth comes out. Perini does sloppy work, we all know it. Just another juiced in contractor who made millions in the glory days, now are desperate for survival.
Why are people so mad at the CC? Don't go there then!
SO WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF CIYT CENTER?? SHOULD IT ALL BE SHUT DOWN AND CHECKED OUT....SAME PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE REST OFF IT........SHUT IT DOWN AND CHECK OUT THE REST????
ANY ONE KNOWS THAT THESE PROBLEMS EXISTED FROM THE GET GO. THE MANDALAY BAY RESORT SETTLED ALMOST 3 FEET AND SEVERED ALL SERVICES THE NORTHWEST TOWER AT THE EXCALIBURE IS ALSO SINKING. DURING CONSTRUCTION WHEN THE LUXOR PYRAMID WAS ONLY AT THREE STORIES, IT STARTED TO SEPERATE AT ITS NORTWEST CORNER AND NEED ADDITIONAL REBAR AND CONCRETE TO FILL IN A GAP OF OVER 18". THE GROUND ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BLVD IS NOT STABLE TO SUPPORT THESE STRCTURES W/O PROPER FOOTINGS AND PILINGS.
I wonder who the original engineer is who put his stamp of approval on the plans?
What, could there be yet another erronously reported fact in this LVRJ article? The article states that the Clark County Building Division had previously retained William P. Moore Structural Engineers as a consultant on Harmon Tower, and that they had concluded the Harmon "suffered from certain vulnerabilities." I've never heard of "William" P. Moore Structural Engineers, but I am certainly familiar with WALTER P. Moore! Walter P. Moore is an 80-year old, highly-respected, national structural engineering firm that was founded and is still headquartered in Houston, TX. They have a small office here in Las Vegas. I thought getting the names right is fundamental to good reporting. Also, what is meant by the reported statement that Moore had concluded the Harmon "suffered from certain vulnerabilities?" That could mean anything, even something trivial. Surely, they told Clark County something more definite than that for their [i.e, our] money. Why didn't the Review-Journal tell us what they specifically reported, and what they recommended? After all, if the county paid for it, their report is a public document.
ATTN: BILL GATES! Want to knock out your competition (Apple) for good? Spend several billion to buy & tear down the Harmon & the entrie CityCenter compex. It blocks the sun from the Strip & takes away from the entire Las Vegas experience. Lovers of Las Vegas the world over will be grateful to you and (most likely in appreciation) buy Microsoft products exclusively. Only half-joking here.
This article reports that Perini "hired another structural engineering firm, John A. Martin & Associates [ed: as opposed to Weidlinger Associates, Inc. hired by MGM Resorts], to evaluate the Harmon's tower and podium and come up with a plan to fix the troubled building." John A. Martin & Associates, like Weidlinger, is another well-respected structural engineering firm that is based in Los Angeles, CA. They have affliated offices in several other western states including, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and right here in Las Vegas, NV where they do business as John A. Martin & Associates of Nevada, Inc. Presumably, it is the local Las Vegas office of Martin that is working on the structural evaluation of Harmon Tower, but unfortunately the Review-Journal article does not make this clear. FIO, Martin has designed the Mirage, the Bellagio, the Paris and the Venetian hotels and casinos here in Las Vegas. So, I'm still wondering who performed the original structural design of Harmon Tower, and for whom did they work? I don't find anyplace where the LVRJ has ever reported this most salient fact on the reported subject, which would be very easy to determine. Why? Could it have been John A. Martin Associates, like the other most recent MGM casinos? Yet, by failing to mention this, if true, this article infers that it was not. Perhaps so, but basic reporting should certainly clarify this fact, not just for the readers' information, but also to be fair to John A. Martin & Associates if they are not the original structural design engineers. But, if they were, then why won't the LVRJ report it? Very weak reporting, indeed.