Obama Presidential Center subcontractors file new legal claims saying they are still owed nearly $900K
Three more subcontractors that worked on the Obama Presidential Center have filed legal claims saying they are owed nearly $900,000, adding to a growing list of payment disputes surrounding the project.The companies each filed mechanics liens against the Obama Presidential Center property, a routine legal tool used on construction projects to recover unpaid construction costs.The subcontractors claim they are owed money for structural steel, excavation and concrete, and gymnasium flooring work performed on Home Court, the Center’s 60,000-square-foot basketball and events facility.Structural steel subcontractor Area Erectors is seeking nearly $620,000, excavation and concrete subcontractor CSI 3000 — the only Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) of the three — claims it is owed about $236,000, and gymnasium flooring specialist Floors Incorporated says it is owed nearly $25,000.Unlike previous payment disputes reported by Fox News Digital, which largely involved work across the main campus, these claims relate specifically to Home Court, which was built under a separate construction contract.
It comes as Home Court is hosting several high-profile WNBA All-Star Weekend events this week which the former president attended.The Home Court claims are the latest in a series of subcontractor payment disputes previously reported by Fox News Digital involving the broader Obama Presidential Center project, located in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park.The disputes add to a growing list of challenges during construction, including the project’s ballooning cost — from an initial estimate of about $350 million to more than $1 billion — and legal challenges over contracting practices and diversity requirements.The Home Court is located at the southern end of the campus and features a regulation-size NBA basketball court, training space and multipurpose meeting and event rooms.
The basketball court is decorated with phrases associated with former President Barack Oba...