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Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner
The Summa Terra Ventures apartment building taking shape at 144 25th St. in Ogden, photographed Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.
OGDEN — The contractor handling construction of the 144 25th St. building in Ogden is apparently contending with “significant issues” and may be on the verge of closing, a Salt Lake City trade publication reports.
Building Salt Lake reported Saturday that workers at Makers Line and other firms under the umbrella of Q Factor, the parent company, have been facing furloughs and layoffs. It didn’t specify the apparent problems, only saying that Q Factor — also involved with the proposed redevelopment of the Ogden Union Stockyard Exchange building — seems to be “facing significant issues.”
The ripple effect seems to be having a particular impact on Makers Line, the contractor that has been handling now-stalled construction of the five-story apartment building taking shape at 144 25th St. City officials last March ordered a halt to work on the building because lumber used in the structure wasn’t sufficiently fire-resistant and say they have since found other structural issues with the unfinished building.
“A former Makers Line employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Building Salt Lake that all Makers Line employees were told they were laid off on Thursday, and that sister companies Forge, a metal manufacturer, and Titus, a concrete company, were also ‘gone,’” the publication reported. Makers Line seemed to be growing quickly along the Wasatch Front but “tripped on several projects” along the way, Building Salt Lake reported, citing sources involved in development in Utah.
Reps from Q Factor and Makers Line didn’t immediately respond to Standard-Examiner queries on Monday seeking comment. Likewise, a rep from Summa Terra Ventures — the developer behind the 144 25th St. building — didn’t respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to Building Salt Lake last week, however, Summa Terra Ventures Chief Executive Officer Mike Watson seemed to confirm the turn of events.
“Summa Terra Ventures is saddened by Makers Line’s closure today,” Watson said. “We’ve been preparing for this possibility for some time and are now working with Rich Development to complete our Ogden projects, Hunter’s Landing and Union Walk.”
Union Walk is the 55-unit apartment building project at 144 25th St. while Hunter’s Landing is a Summa Terra Ventures project at 407 W. 12th St. The Hunter’s Landing project also faced a stop-work order last March from Ogden officials because insufficiently fire-resistant lumber was used, but the developer reached a remedy and the order was lifted in September.
City officials referred questions on the matter to the companies involved. “They need to be answered by Makers Line and Q Factor. We’ve not received anything formal from them,” said Mike McBride, spokesperson for the administration of Mayor Mike Caldwell.
He referred additional comment to an attorney the city has hired to help it contend with the issues at 144 25th St., but the lawyer, Matt Church, didn’t immediately respond to a query seeking comment.
Though quiet on the issues surrounding 144 25th St., McBride addressed the potential upshot to the Union Stockyard Exchange building project if Q Factor were to close. That project is located in the Trackline Economic Development area in western Ogden. “If they shut that down, that whole agreement would be null and void,” McBride said.
As outlined on the Q Factor website, the Union Stockyard Exchange project calls for the restoration of the building into office space and construction of a 26,000-square-foot addition. A new 18,700-square-foot building nearby at Exchange Road and Stockman Way is also envisioned.
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