Post-Scandal, Work Back on at Mission College's Arts Center

Things are looking up for Mission College's half-built Media Arts Center in Sylmar--the project had been abandoned after faulty work was discovered two years ago. Work was started by SMC Construction, which won the contract with a bid "so low that few believed it could do the job," says the Daily News, but about 18 months in, inspectors found defects in hundreds of steel joints and SMC walked off the job. The project is now years late and $8 million over budget, and there's a ton of finger pointing going on while the Community College Board decides who to blame, who'll pay to fix the mistakes, and who (else) to sue. Meanwhile, there's a new contractor on the case, and Mission College should have its gateway arts center completed in 2014. The 53,000-square-foot space will include art and photography studios, a screening room, art gallery, and recital hall.
· Construction resumes on stalled L.A. Mission College arts center [LADN]