Defective concrete has found its way into NIU’s construction efforts once again.

After 95 percent of the reconstruction of Wirtz Drive and rehabilitation of the Wirtz quadrangle land area was completed, “cracking and flaking” concrete was found, said Patricia Perkins, assistant to the NIU vice president of Finance and Planning.

“All we needed to do was put one more layer of asphalt on and do some landscaping,” she said.

Perkins said the defective concrete appears to have the same problem as the King Memorial Commons had in January, and the Illinois Capital Development Board took core samples to see what caused it to fail.

A fact-finding committee found in late March that an improper cement mixture in the commons led to $40,000 worth of damage, but the repairs were covered under a one-year warranty with Alliance Contractors, who laid the cement.

ICDB spokesperson Mia Jazo confirmed Perkins’ belief.

“The tests indicate that the same type of problems occurred with the Wirtz Building as did in the commons,” she said. “The results show that the concrete is defective due to low air entrapment … that is, there was not enough air in the concrete mix they used,” she said.

Jazo said both of the projects were not under the same contractor, but the same concrete supplier was used.

Jazo said the contractor, DeKalb-based Elliott and Wood, Inc., will cover the damage under the same type of one-year warranty that paid for the damage in the commons.

Elliott and Wood, Inc. officials could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Jazo said ICDB has contacted the contractor verbally regarding the issue and expects to send a written notice to them with details by the end of this week.

“We will outline the specifics and the steps we want them to take to fix the damage,” she said. “The damaged concrete must be removed and replaced.”

Perkins and Jazo could not estimate how much it will cost or how long it will take to repair the project which originally was estimated at about $434,000.

Perkins said the project started late last summer and was expected to be finished early this spring, but she hopes to get the situation resolved soon.

“I think there will be a resolution soon,” she said. “I’m hoping to get this resolved before this fall.”

Perkins said the final payment to the contractor will not be made until the issue is resolved and the concrete is replaced.