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Contractor said he warned of Davenport building collapse
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Blue City Disasters
Jun 1, 2023, 5:25:04 AM6/1/23
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Mayor MIKE MATSON, Democrat, mike....@davenportiowa.com. Office: 563-
326-7701
About three months before the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport
apartment building — and again just two days before — a masonry company
owner said he predicted it was coming.
City officials say at least five people are unaccounted for after the
partial collapse Sunday evening at 324 Main St. Families of two men fear
they remain under the rubble of the fallen west side of the six-story
building.
No new updates came from the city Wednesday on rescue operations or a
potential timeline for demolishing the building, which remains standing
after city officials said Monday that "demolition is expected to commence"
on Tuesday.
However, the city released hundreds of pages of documents Wednesday close
to 6 p.m. detailing structural engineering reports, notices of violations,
orders to vacate some apartments and resident complaints over the past
three years.
Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of R. A. Masonry, was working nearby at 112 W. 3rd
St., the former Antonella’s Pizza, in February. While on the job, he said,
he was approached by Andrew Wold, the owner of the building where the
collapse occurred.
Shaffer said Wold asked him to supply a quote for work on the nearby
apartment building. When he did, he said, the bid was rejected because it
was too high.
“He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of
the building," Shaffer said.
Shoring is done to prop up a building when the structure is deemed unsafe,
Shaffer explained. The bid for that work alone came in at about $50,000.
“I said, ‘If we don’t do it this way exactly, I’m not putting my guys in
there. Somebody is going to die,’ ” he said.
According to Shaffer, Wold then shopped around for someone who would do
the work for an acceptable price. City records reflect this.
On Feb. 22, the city of Davenport issued a permit for, “structural masonry
repairs to west elevation as specified in engineer's report.”
According to the permit, the job came at a cost of nearly $40,000. The
contractor listed is Bi-State Masonry.
City inspection records show a final inspection was done on March 1 by
Trishna Pradhan, the chief building official for Davenport. The building
passed inspection, and the work was being completed in line with the
structural engineer's report.
The exterior finish of the building needed to match the historic fabric of
the rest of the building. Pradhan wrote that the contractor was aware and
the owner was being informed.
In the next sentence, it was noted Bi-State was off the job as of March 1
because the “owner did not agree to their change order for installing
brick outside.”
Pradhan continued, saying repair work was on hold but shoring was in place
and, “site is secure. Owner has not submitted new timeline for work to
commence.”
Work then appears to have resumed, and it passed three more city
inspections on April 12, April 21, and May 1. In the last one, the
inspector noted “repair work has been completed per Engineer’s Report.”
Brickwork done in the days before collapse
A separate permit for brickwork was filed on Wednesday, May 24. City
records indicate the job consisted of replacing 100 feet of brick on the
exterior of the building, per city code.
The permit says the work came at a cost of $3,000. The contractor on the
job is listed as “owner.”
Shaffer said, in his opinion, the work described would account for only
one-third of what needed to be done. Saturday, one day before the
collapse, he drove by and saw a pile of bricks on the ground.
“(Wold) was calling us and asking for I-beams and stuff to support it. I
looked at it and was like, ‘There’s no saving it at this point,’” he said.
Friday, two days before the building collapsed, Shaffer said he went to
the apartment building and told workers, “Get away. You’re going to die.”
Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., less than two hours before it collapsed, he warned
workers at the site of 324 Main St. that they needed to leave.
“We were here working all day," he said, referring to his work at the
former Antonella's location. "Literally, we were just waiting for the
building to drop."
https://qctimes.com/news/local/contractor-said-he-warned-of-davenport-
building-collapse/article_35faacaa-858c-5ca2-a26a-365e6704e7e5.html
326-7701
About three months before the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport
apartment building — and again just two days before — a masonry company
owner said he predicted it was coming.
City officials say at least five people are unaccounted for after the
partial collapse Sunday evening at 324 Main St. Families of two men fear
they remain under the rubble of the fallen west side of the six-story
building.
No new updates came from the city Wednesday on rescue operations or a
potential timeline for demolishing the building, which remains standing
after city officials said Monday that "demolition is expected to commence"
on Tuesday.
However, the city released hundreds of pages of documents Wednesday close
to 6 p.m. detailing structural engineering reports, notices of violations,
orders to vacate some apartments and resident complaints over the past
three years.
Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of R. A. Masonry, was working nearby at 112 W. 3rd
St., the former Antonella’s Pizza, in February. While on the job, he said,
he was approached by Andrew Wold, the owner of the building where the
collapse occurred.
Shaffer said Wold asked him to supply a quote for work on the nearby
apartment building. When he did, he said, the bid was rejected because it
was too high.
“He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of
the building," Shaffer said.
Shoring is done to prop up a building when the structure is deemed unsafe,
Shaffer explained. The bid for that work alone came in at about $50,000.
“I said, ‘If we don’t do it this way exactly, I’m not putting my guys in
there. Somebody is going to die,’ ” he said.
According to Shaffer, Wold then shopped around for someone who would do
the work for an acceptable price. City records reflect this.
On Feb. 22, the city of Davenport issued a permit for, “structural masonry
repairs to west elevation as specified in engineer's report.”
According to the permit, the job came at a cost of nearly $40,000. The
contractor listed is Bi-State Masonry.
City inspection records show a final inspection was done on March 1 by
Trishna Pradhan, the chief building official for Davenport. The building
passed inspection, and the work was being completed in line with the
structural engineer's report.
The exterior finish of the building needed to match the historic fabric of
the rest of the building. Pradhan wrote that the contractor was aware and
the owner was being informed.
In the next sentence, it was noted Bi-State was off the job as of March 1
because the “owner did not agree to their change order for installing
brick outside.”
Pradhan continued, saying repair work was on hold but shoring was in place
and, “site is secure. Owner has not submitted new timeline for work to
commence.”
Work then appears to have resumed, and it passed three more city
inspections on April 12, April 21, and May 1. In the last one, the
inspector noted “repair work has been completed per Engineer’s Report.”
Brickwork done in the days before collapse
A separate permit for brickwork was filed on Wednesday, May 24. City
records indicate the job consisted of replacing 100 feet of brick on the
exterior of the building, per city code.
The permit says the work came at a cost of $3,000. The contractor on the
job is listed as “owner.”
Shaffer said, in his opinion, the work described would account for only
one-third of what needed to be done. Saturday, one day before the
collapse, he drove by and saw a pile of bricks on the ground.
“(Wold) was calling us and asking for I-beams and stuff to support it. I
looked at it and was like, ‘There’s no saving it at this point,’” he said.
Friday, two days before the building collapsed, Shaffer said he went to
the apartment building and told workers, “Get away. You’re going to die.”
Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., less than two hours before it collapsed, he warned
workers at the site of 324 Main St. that they needed to leave.
“We were here working all day," he said, referring to his work at the
former Antonella's location. "Literally, we were just waiting for the
building to drop."
https://qctimes.com/news/local/contractor-said-he-warned-of-davenport-
building-collapse/article_35faacaa-858c-5ca2-a26a-365e6704e7e5.html
Randy Marsh
Jun 3, 2023, 11:02:38 AM6/3/23
to
They don't believe in building codes in the impoverished red states like Iowa
and the great shithole state of Floriduh.
It's cheaper to just slap shit up and if it collapses, you run away.
Ron DeSantis signed a bill that says anyone who is a victim of such things
can't sue and needs to make a hefty donation to his presidential campaign
instead.
and the great shithole state of Floriduh.
It's cheaper to just slap shit up and if it collapses, you run away.
Ron DeSantis signed a bill that says anyone who is a victim of such things
can't sue and needs to make a hefty donation to his presidential campaign
instead.
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