On the 1-year anniversary of the repairs and renovations to the Mesa County Animal Services Facility, 971A Coffman Road in Whitewater, county officials, engineers and contractors gathered to inspect the building for any structural shifts.
"Happy to let you all know that not one single crack in the floors or walls were found. All doors and jams were working perfect and Doug passed his last PACFA walk through with not one write up," Mesa County Facilities Parks & Fairgrounds Director Greg Linza wrote in an email to the commissioners.
"The building is looking very good," Linza added.
The Animal Services facility was built in Whitewater in 2010, and within a few months, structural problems flourished. The building was built atop expansive soils, causing floors and walls to crack creating uneven hazardous surfaces that required immediate attention.
Construction defects derived from expansive soils, which are subject to changes in volume and settlement in response to weather conditions and pouring a slab on grade without structurally securing it down.
The renovations to the building include an elevated concrete poured steel pan deck floor that is structurally anchored with 61 drilled caissons to a depth of 31’ creating a crawl space with weather protection and drain line access.
The new building, so far, has been able to withstand the movement of the expansive soils underneath.