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Contractor files claim for work done at LP plant site The Louisiana Pacific Corp.'s oriented strand board (OSB) plant in Clarke County remains on schedule for start-up in late 2007 despite a dispute with at least one contractor. RWS Construction, Inc. of North Carolina has filed a lien in Clarke County Probate Court against the "buildings and improvements thereon, and the said land" where the plant is being constructed to settle a claim of $1.2 million. Mary Cohn, corporate affairs manager for Louisiana Pacific in Nashville, Tenn. acknowledged the lien and a dispute with RWS for steel erection work done at the plant. She said she could not provide details due to legal issues but said RWS was terminated and another contractor is doing "a great job." LP is negotiating with RWS to settle the dispute. At Monday's Clarke County Commission meeting, commissioners were questioned about LP's financial losses this year. LP lost $37.3 million in the first quarter of 2007 with OSB losing over $64 million for the same period. Financial observers have blamed a weakening housing and construction market for the loss. Cohn said OSB sales are off but said it is a "cyclical busness" with ups and downs due to market trends. LP remains strong, she said. "We had over $1 billion in cash and investments for the first quarter." "The plant is progressing as planned and we still are planning to produce our first OSB board by the end of the year," she said. Commissioner Rhondel Rhone echoed her comments Monday. "I talked with LP officials last Thursday and Friday and they said they have every intention of starting the facility in December. "While I was at the site I saw probably around 350 to 400 construction workers on the site, getting ready." In other matters relating to the LP project Monday, commissioners approved a bid for turnlane and crossover lane work on Highway 43 at the LP industrial road intersection. Mobile Asphalt was awarded the job for $627,180.85. The bid was approved by the The bid was approved by the county pending approval by the Alabama Department of Transportation. The state has provided funds for the project.
Rhone asked how many days Mobile Asphalt has to complete the work. County Engineer Sam Noble replied, "Normally they have 120 days but with the weather we have been having they should be able to complete the project a lot sooner than that."
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