HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Sports Arena project took another unexpected financial hit on Friday when it was discovered that the concrete floor in the north addition held too much moisture. Until the problem is fixed, the gym floors cannot be installed.

Parks Director Justin Combs, who is the liaison for the city on the project, told the City Council that the fix could be an additional $40 – $90 thousand. With the naturally high water table in the city and the damp weather of the summer, the concrete moisture level has stayed around 90-95 percent. It must be below 80 percent or the moisture will damage the wood floor. Combs said that running the air conditioners could help with the moisture level, but it’s not a likely fix.

That means the construction crews will have to lay a permanent moisture barrier on the floor before installing the wood gym floor. It’s the second major financial hit to the project contingency budget in the last week. It was announced during last week’s arena building committee meeting that the floor around the concourse will need to have an epoxy surface placed over the concrete floor, costing more than $217 thousand over the original cost.