Indy Library Getting $17M In Construction Settlement

INDIANAPOLIS -- Marion County's library system will receive more than $17 million from the insurers of nine construction companies in a settlement relating to the downtown Central Library's expansion, which was plagued by delays and concrete problems, the system said Wednesday.

Work on the expansion was stopped for more than a year when, in 2004, cracks and falling concrete were discovered in the underground garage that served as the foundation of the addition.

The library reopened in December, two years behind schedule and $50 million over budget. Much of the over-budget figure was attributed to repairs and delays.

The companies settling with the library system are: Ambassador Steel; Premier Concrete; Quantum Steel; Shiel-Sexton Co.; Shook, LLC; Trotter Construction Co.; Turner Construction Co.; and Turner Trotter Shiel Sexton Joint Venture.

The library system said it anticipates using the settlement money to pay for a portion of the construction costs that went beyond what had been budgeted.

The system still is pursuing lawsuits against three other companies: the Thornton-Thomasetti Group; Patriot Environmental and Engineering Co.; and Charlier Clark & Linard.