Norfolk panel orders fire station basin rebuilt after compaction found

Other Committee · Meeting of May 20, 2026

Norfolk fire station committee orders basin rebuilt again after finding compacted soil, not just contaminated planting soil, is blocking drainage. Project manager John Thompson of Doran Whittier said December photos show a compactor working the basin's wet subgrade the day after inspectors found it properly loosened, "pretty much exactly the opposite of what the project specifications required." Contractor Castagna must strip the bioretention soil and four to six inches of subgrade before Nitsch runs two roughly $1,000 infiltrometer tests. Separately, Facilities Director Tim Schwenard reported six of eight overhead bay doors have failed since the station opened, including an April 8 cable snap that dropped a door to chest height.

The fire chief called the situation "utterly ridiculous on a brand-new building" and barred use of the affected doors. The committee wants installer HQI to assess the doors at no cost before further repairs.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of May 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.