Oregon Public Broadcasting

Salem-area officials say they want to get the bottom of what caused a nearly new public building to start visibly cracking earlier this year.

Marion County and Salem Keizer Transit Agency workers are moving out of the Courthouse Square building this month, while repairs take place. Employees have a September 28 deadline to get out.

In the meantime, Dave Henderson with Marion County says officials want to find building experts who can determine how the building went awry.

Dave Henderson: "What we want to do is contract with an engineering firm – a forensic engineering firm – that can come in and look at the process at how the design was done, how it was approved, how the construction was done –  and come back to us with a report that would help the county and transit find out where things went wrong in the process and what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The county settled with building contractors and architects last month for about $1.8 million. Henderson says if a study finds one of those groups caused the problems on the $34 million project, the county can't get more money out of them.

Marion County is still in mediation with the building's engineers.