Facility remains open for use and programming

In an effort to ensure and maintain integrity of public assets, the Norman Municipal Authority (NMA) and City of Norman ("City") have filed suit in the District Court of Cleveland County on 10/16/26 against multiple contractors involved in the design and construction of the Young Family Athletic Center (YFAC).

The voter-approved facility, which opened to the public in February 2024, includes an aquatic center, multi-sport gymnasium, physician clinics, retail space, concessions and administrative offices. Persistent moisture and water intrusion issues, in addition to incomplete work tasks and general negligence, are cited as breach of contract complaints by the City in the Petition.

Facility issues do not present any health or safety risks to site visitors and have primarily impacted areas out of the public eye. Evidence and details of these issues will be disclosed further in court proceedings.

Mediation efforts with the contractors and their representatives have been ongoing but are so far unsuccessful, City officials said, so legal action must be taken ahead of final acceptance of the facility in order to protect taxpayers. Final acceptance of a building is the official legal and contractual milestone where the owner acknowledges that the construction work is complete in full, all punch list items are resolved, and full ownership and risk of loss transfer from the contractor to the owner.

"Defendants, each of them, were negligent in failing to perform their respective work on the project using the ordinary skill, care and diligence of, as the case may be, a reasonably prudent architect, engineer, contractor, program services manager, consultant, and/or subcontractor and that their respective work and services on the project would be performed in accordance with industry standards," the filing reads.

A retainage amount of $1.5 million to contractors will not be released until a resolution of the issues is reached. The City is requesting to be made whole on damages for all losses - including costs and expenses related to intermittent mitigation, repairs or remediations since 2024, as well as attorney fees. This amount will be determined at trial.

The defendants to the suit were identified in a manner best preserving the City's legal positions, and include: GE Johnson Construction Company LLC (GEJ) , DPR Construction, Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates, ADG PC, Graco Roofing & Construction LLC, Trinity Roofing & Construction, Alpha Insulation & Water Proofing Inc., Baker Brother Electric Inc., Connelly Paving Company, Coulter & Company, EWS Texas Inc., Grissom Landscape Nursery LLC, Sun Valley Masonry Inc., SW Drywall LLC, Watte Wolfe Company, and WH Baca & Sons Construction LLC.

This is the second major legal dispute involving the construction of a municipal facility in Norman over the last several years, which City officials acknowledge directly and with full transparency. Unlike Norman Public Library Central, however, the City remains under contract and in possession of retainage on the YFAC and no disruption to operations is expected while this matter is pending.

FSB Architects was selected with its team to design and engineer the YFAC through a formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) process. A request for proposal (RFP) process was used to select GEJ as Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR), a role involving substantial pre-construction and construction phase services. Both processes were rigorous and involved applicants with particular qualifications, submittals of detailed information regarding such qualifications and experience, and a final interview and ranking process prior to selection. Throughout project work, GEJ independently entered into multiple contracts with subcontractors, who are named in the petition. As set forth in the NMA's contractual documents with GEJ, the CMaR is entirely responsible for the performance of its subcontractors and the NMA does not have a direct contractual relationship with GEJ's subcontractors.

"Members of this community deserve what they have approved and paid for: first-rate and quality facilities to visit and enjoy with their families," said City Manager Darrel Pyle. "We will leave no stone unturned in doing what is right by our residents and making that so."

As they become available, updates to this situation will be shared at Normanok.gov for the community.

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