still under construction

By AMY S. LANSDON

News Editor

The Brundidge Nutrition Center missed its completion day yesterday, and according to officials it will probably be the first of August before the center is open.

Britt Thomas, city manager, said he had an conversation with the workers on the site yesterday and they said the building would not be complete until the first of August.

"It was an informal conversation with the workers," Thomas said. "We have nothing in writing saying the building will be complete by then. They are in the process of preparing a new completion schedule for us now."

The Brundidge City Council approved the construction of the nutrition center in December 1999 even though it was $50,000 over budget. The cost of the project was $310,000, which the city of Brundidge obtained grants for the construction.

Not only will the building serve as the home for the Brundidge Nutrition Center, but will also serve as a multipurpose building for the city of Brundidge.

In January the city of Brundidge held a ground breaking ceremony on the property where the structure is now being built. At a Brundidge City Council meeting in March Thomas reported to the council that the building was on schedule and a sewer tap was being installed in the near future, and the concrete foundation was about to be poured. He told the council the metal building was to arrive in the city by mid-April.

At a May Brundidge City Council meeting Thomas updated the council on the progress of the center. At that time the metal for the structure had been delivered and workers were scheduled to begin construction the following week.

"We don’t know what’s put them so far behind schedule," Thomas said. "They have told us they were unable to get some of the supplies they needed to complete the structure, but that’s all we know."

Although the completion of the building is several months away and there is a lot of work to be done, Thomas said the city of Brundidge is not having to pay any more for additional time needed for the job to be complete.