‘Soon never came’: Canton fires contractor over stalled Helene repairs
By Elijah Skipper
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CANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — The Town of Canton has ended its contracts with J Evans Construction after officials said work to repair Helene-related damage at Recreation Park stalled for months, delaying the reopening of the town’s baseball fields and pool facilities.
Town attorney William Morgan said the town ultimately lost confidence that the work would be completed in a reasonable timeframe after repeated delays.
The projects were intended to restore storm damage from Helene, with town leaders expecting both the ball field and pool support structures to be back in use months ago.
Morgan said the contractor had been contacted multiple times about the delays before the town decided to terminate the agreement.
The town says it has already paid roughly two-thirds of the original contract, though officials believe a similar portion of the work was not completed.
“So, the town is out some amount of money,” Morgan said. “The total is yet to be determined.”
Town leaders say they are now exploring options to recover those funds.
At the same time, challenges within the construction industry may have contributed to delays.
Anthony Harp, owner of Southeastern Property Care, said his company was brought in as a subcontractor by J Evans Construction shortly before the contract was terminated.
“We were scrambling at the time to kind of pick up all the loose pieces,” Harp said. “I did see that a lot of the subs and a lot of the materials didn’t meet the expectations.”
Harp said the project relied on multiple subcontractors, a common structure in construction, and that issues at that level can slow down progress.
He also pointed to broader industry challenges following Helene, including supply chain disruptions and difficulty sourcing materials.
According to Harp, materials needed for baseball field repairs, such as fencing, bleachers and dugout components, became especially difficult to obtain after storm damage impacted fields across the region.
“Those specific materials, which are not in high demand, suddenly became a high demand,” he said.
Now working under a new contractor, Harp said he is optimistic the project can move forward more quickly.
“I’m beyond hopeful,” Harp said. “Materials are ordered. They’re on their way.”
For Harp, the project is also personal.
“I’ve got pictures of me at four years old at Canton Park,” he said. “It’s very close to me and my entire family.”
Morgan said one key takeaway for the town may be the importance of thoroughly vetting contractors, even as communities push to rebuild quickly after disasters.
“Probably vet fully your contractors,” he said, “even though you want to get the projects underway and finished.”
Town officials say they hope the renewed effort will allow the ball field and pool facilities to reopen as soon as possible.
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