Engineer at fault for Zephyrhills airport costs, delays

The engineer who designed the city's $2.8 million airport hangars in 2008 was at fault for the project's delays and cost overruns, according to a state investigation.

The Florida Engineers Management Association has accused the LPA Group's James Goodwin of negligence for his work on the airport's T-hangar project. The association filed a formal complaint against Goodwin for submitting plans that did not meet fire code and were "materially deficient" in other areas. Goodwin's design also lacked the appropriate electrical engineering documents, according to the complaint.

Contractor David Carr filed the initial complaint. "I feel vindicated," he said. "And the fire marshal should feel vindicated, too."

Goodwin has until mid-February to respond. He could not be reached for comment. If the Florida Board of Professional Engineers rules against him, Goodwin could be fined and have his license suspended or revoked.

The T-hangar project began in January 2008 and was supposed to cost $2.7 million. The project was delayed for months while the city's fire marshal and airport director butted heads over the design. In March, the fire marshal stopped work on the project, saying the hangar design didn't meet state fire codes. The city issued a $100,000 change order seven months later.

Carr said the delays cost him more than a $200,000 and forced him to dissolve his company and file for bankruptcy. "It buried me, and I couldn't recover from it," he said.

City Manager Steve Spina said the complaint against Goodwin is unfounded. "He didn't design the hangars - we bought the building plans," he said. "We have other hangars out at the airport that were exactly the same, and they always passed inspection before."

An independent engineer Spina hired to review the plans agreed with the fire marshal.

The design flaws weren't the only problem plaguing the hangar project. LPA Group also served as the construction manager and was responsible for onsite inspections.

William Gregg, an accountant hired by the Zephyrhills Airport Authority, said he found LPA's billing "irregular and suspect" and its record-keeping "very sloppy." The authority asked Gregg to audit the construction records after Carr accused the Tampa firm of overbilling for the project.

Carr has accused the engineering firm of charging the city for hours it never worked and for meetings it didn't attend. LPA inspectors submitted timesheets to the company and/or mileage reports for 68 trips to the airport.

"We estimated that there were not more than 27 trips that were made to the site," Gregg wrote in his final report. "I believe the airport may be due a refund for trips not made," he added.

In addition, inspector Bill Schipper appeared to have overcharged the city for mileage costs for the trips he did make. He charged for mileage from his home in Sarasota, when he should have been reimbursed for the distance between the airport and LPA's Tampa office, Gregg found.

"LPA Group neglected to make appropriate adjustments for this mileage when doing their monthly invoicing," he wrote.

The contract called for 260 hours of on-site inspections, charged at a rate of $100 per hour. Schipper actually billed the city for 381.5 hours before he was terminated in August. Airport Manager Trina Sweet said the city did not pay for more than 260 hours.

LPA has been the exclusive engineering firm for the city for the past nine years. It has a no-bid contract and works on projects ranging from feasibility studies for a new library to surveying roads and drainage projects. Such contracts are common among cities that don't have professional engineers on staff. LPA Group has similar consulting contracts with St. Petersburg, Polk County and numerous Florida airports.