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Liens filed against contemporary art museum

By John Rebchook, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 13, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Subcontractors claim they are owed for work done at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, shown here last March.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol / The Rocky/2007

Subcontractors claim they are owed for work done at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, shown here last March.

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The $16 million Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver could be facing a public relations black eye in the wake of claims by subcontractors that they're owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for work on the building designed by world-famous architect David Adjaye.

Subcontractors have filed more than $352,000 in mechanic liens against the project at 1485 Delgany St.

Buddy Reifsneider, president of Proff Paint Co., said his company is owed $23,750 for work at the museum.

"What bothers me the most is the museum has been getting all of this great publicity, and at the same time they aren't paying the subcontractors who built it," Reifsneider said.

He said he has $1,800 in paint sitting in the museum that he paid for.

He said museum officials have asked him to come back to touch up some paint, but he said he won't do it until he is paid in full. He said the money he is owed is basically equivalent to his profit.

Reifsneider said an official from general contractor M.A. Mortenson told him the museum ran out of money and is using the money owed to subcontractors to cover its operating expenses.

He said Mortenson is not responsible for paying subcontractors if the owner doesn't pay Mortenson.

Reifsneider said it is his understanding that Mortenson is owed a great deal of money, probably more than any of the individual subcontractors.

Bob Hansen, a vice president and general manager at Mortenson, said the company is "working through the close-out issues, and we expect a positive closure to all of the issues."

Hansen declined to say whether the museum owed Mortenson money or whether the subcontractors will be paid in full if the company successfully can resolve the issues.

Officials from the museum did not return two phone calls on Tuesday.

rebchookj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5207