HAMPTON, Va. — More than a year ago, Hampton city leaders broke ground on the Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center.
“It will be run not just by city staff but by a board of citizens and they will help direct what goes on there,” said Robin McCormick, a spokesperson for the city.
McCormick said the neighborhood advisory group running the center planned to finish construction by July 9th.
But the vision to open the center's doors this summer is delayed, along with many materials needed for the project.
“I talked to the engineers and I saw what supplies were delayed, and they look at me and say, ‘What supplies weren’t delayed?’ It has just been sort of one scramble after another,” McCormick said.
McCormick said supply chain issues are bleeding into other projects for the city, including the Aquaplex and a gymnasium for a separate neighborhood center.
“The roof trusses that support the roof, pretty crucial, were two or more months delayed,” she said.
She said items from roof trusses to computer chips are necessary to finish these projects. Since these materials are out of stock, crews are left waiting.
McCormick says despite living through the pandemic for two years, Hampton city leaders didn’t expect to deal with many of these issues.
“We all think COVID is kind of over," she said. "You know you read about the supply chain thing. It’s a national thing, but until you try to do something, you don’t realize.”
Hampton leaders said they don't have a timeline on when they could see the project completed due to the uncertainties that come with the shortage.