Faulty Sprinklers May Rain on New Convention Center’s Opening Parade

A San Diego Fire Department inspection of the San Diego Convention Center has found a faulty sprinkler system, which could delay the center’s Nov. 1 opening until repairs are completed, convention center and fire officials said Wednesday.

Sprinkler heads on the meeting-room level and in the main ballroom are obstructed by hanging lights, said Fire Marshal Jim Sewell. In the event of a fire, water from the sprinklers in certain areas would be blocked by the lights, Sewell said.

Dan Wilkens, a spokesman for the San Diego Unified Port District, said it is not known whether the center will be finished on time. He said that, although the Port District is concerned, it has no reason to believe that Fire Department officials and general contractor Tutor-Saliba-Perini will not be able to work things out. “I think we’re always concerned about unforeseen problems that come out. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The problem must be corrected before the building can be occupied. Fire officials are meeting with Tutor-Saliba-Perini representatives to discuss alternatives, Sewell said. The inspection was made about two weeks ago.

“The lights were not in the original plans we had originally approved,” Sewell said, adding that the sprinkler heads would have to be moved.

Wilkens said the Port District had not received an estimate from Tutor-Saliba-Perini on how much the repairs would cost, and he didn’t know who would pay. Bill Pence, a vice president with the contracting company, said the alterations would cost $200,000 to $400,000.

Meanwhile, union laborers held a one-day sickout in protest of the hiring of non-union workers by Tutor-Saliba-Perini to install flooring, Pence said. The sickout was not expected to affect the center’s completion deadline, and union laborers are expected to return to work today, an insider said.