RPInsider

Yesterday we reported on allegations that RPI didn’t fully pay the electrical contractor it had hired to complete EMPAC, referencing the Times Union article which broke the story.

Today a new development made the front page of the TU’s business section which doesn’t really seem to have any bearing on the case at hand.  The story basically explains that the inspector for the City of Troy inspected the building before it opened and declared it to be safe.  He says that it is “one of the safest buildings in Troy.”

As far as I can tell, this doesn’t affect whether RPI owes $2.6 million to LaCorte, but it does give us the peace of mind of knowing that we weren’t put in danger.  We all knew the building was being rushed and that it wasn’t done in time for the big opening gala (it closed immediately after so they could finish construction).  This is simply a matter of whether LaCorte was paid for the work they did, and that’s something that remains to be decided by a court.

UPDATE: Just found an article in the Record, which has Claude Rounds’s statement:

Rensselaer received a certificate of occupancy for EMPAC after an exhaustive and extraordinary review by the city of Troy. The substantial documentation associated with EMPAC’s compliance with all the requirements of the certificate of occupancy is a matter of public record. Any allegation that the building was not ready for occupancy is irresponsible.

We stand behind the work of Turner Construction – a first-rate, internationally recognized contractor. We also stand behind the more-than-40 subcontractors and hundreds of local skilled craftspeople who played a role in building EMPAC, and we look forward to putting this frivolous matter to rest.

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