JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Monday's Courthouse Oversight Committee meeting was meant to get answers. But instead when David Reaves, a vice president with Turner Construction, took to the podium there were a lot of these:
"I do not know the answer to that."
Questions about sketchy details in the company's past to requests regarding how much more money the courthouse is going to cost to complete all went unanswered.
City Councilman John Crescimbeni asked, "Are we talking $50, $100,000, $1 million? What do you think we're talking here?"
Reaves responded with, "Frankly, I don't know."
It didn't take too many answers like that before tempers started to flare.
"If those are the kind of answers we're going to get here today then Mr. chairman I think we're wasting our time," said City Council Vice President Bill Bishop.
Bishop also tried to get answers about who pulled the plug on moving out of the old courthouse, but Jim Robinson, the Director of Public Works, refused to name names. Robinson insisted it was a committee approach.
The "non-answer" prompted Bishop to respond with, "Well Mr. Robinson, with all due respect, I believe you are being deliberately uncooperative with these questions."
The committee requested public works and Turner Construction give them specific details by next week on how much the additional "Day 2" work will cost at the new courthouse.
"I think this is just one more addition to a long list of things the taxpayers will be concerned about," Crescimbeni said.
Cindy Laquidara, general counsel for the city, told the committee members she has begun putting together a team to review the contract with Turner Construction and requested private meetings with the council members.
On Friday, a certificate of temporary occupancy was issued at the new courthouse. Court officials began moving in Monday. The building is expected to be open to the public by Monday, June 18.
