City Council reviews independent engineering report on Fire Station 4

Published on February 13, 2026

Report cites ‘major structural deficiencies,’ recommends complete demolition of incomplete fire station

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.– The Fayetteville City Council voted to accept an independent engineering report on Fire Station No. 4. Applied Building Sciences (ABS) was hired by the City of Fayetteville to assess the project and make a formal recommendation on the building’s future. The engineering firm presented its findings during the Feb. 9th City Council meeting. After a thorough assessment, the engineering firm recommended complete demolition, including the superstructure and foundations, to allow for reconstruction of the building. Construction on Fire Station No. 4 began in 2022. The City of Fayetteville then sued contractor W.B. Brawley (Brawley) for repeatedly performing defective work and refusing to correct defective work, among other things. The City also sued Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America (Travelers) for breaching its bond obligations owed to the City.

ABS’s findings were detailed in a summary report provided as part of the council meeting agenda, noting they found “major structural deficiencies” including issues with the building’s walls, roof, domestic drainage pipe systems, concrete slabs, welding workmanship, substructure, and various items that failed to meet building codes. Additionally, “multiple pipe stubs were partially bent over and collapsed,” and there was “visible evidence of fungal growth observed on various construction components.” Laboratory results also showed fungal growth on six of eight samples collected from the building. Engineers determined the current structure could not be salvaged, as “repairs are neither economically practical nor technically feasible,” and would pose an even greater safety risk, according to the report. The Charleston-based firm, which has been in operation since 2004, has not recommended the demolition of a partial construction in nearly 20 years, as mentioned in the council meeting.

During discussion, members of the City Council questioned project oversight. ABS explained that project architects were responsible for oversight, which they adequately performed, approving payments to Brawley for materials and satisfactory work. Architects continued to document unsatisfactory elements of the project and Brawley’s inability to meet deadlines, leading the City to issue multiple notices of default before terminating the contract in April 2024.

After reviewing the details of ABS’ report, the City of Fayetteville will continue to pursue recovery of taxpayer funds spent on the project, through lawsuits against Brawley and Travelers. As part of that process, the City will gather information on updated costs associated with the complete demolition and rebuild. However, the City will not know the exact amount of its financial damages until the building is completed.

Fire Station No. 4 is located on Bragg Boulevard. The building was designed to replace an aging facility and improve emergency response times for about 5,000 homes in the area.

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