Warning: The new library in Springfield has a carpet seam that will make you wince

I was there last week to pick up a book for my kid and I couldn't stop staring at the main reading room floor. They used a nice, dense commercial loop, but the install is a mess. The main seam runs right down the center of the highest traffic path, and it's already starting to fray and lift after what, six months? It looks like they didn't use nearly enough seam tape or weight when they glued it. Has anyone else seen a public job where they clearly sacrificed a good install for speed?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.dakota1mo ago

Wasn't there a whole thing about the city going with the lowest bidder for that contract? You get what you pay for, and now we have a trip hazard in the fiction section.

williams.sage1mo ago

Yeah the lowest bidder thing is a real problem, but I wonder if the bigger issue is how they wrote the contract specs. Sometimes the city's own paperwork is so vague that even a good contractor can't fix a bad design.

gray_nguyen25d ago

Spot the same mess with cheap home repairs all the time. You hire the guy who gives the lowest quote, but the job description was a blurry photo and two words, so of course it goes wrong. Wright.dakota is right, you do get what you pay for, but you also need to know what you're even asking for.