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Des Moines must pay nearly $1M to company it blacklisted

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May 17th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines has been ordered to pay nearly $1 million in damages to a construction company it blacklisted. The jury ruling last week came in a lawsuit filed by Jenco Construction Inc., which is based in Des Moines. The city said Jenco didn’t finish a $3.3 million bridge reconstruction project on time or deliver quality work. As a result, the city barred Jenco in March 2015 from bidding on city projects for three years.

The Des Moines Register reports that Jenco sued the city in May 2015, challenging the city’s complaints. Jenco attorney Thomas Olson says the company encountered boulders, concrete, debris and tree stumps that nobody knew about. Des Moines City Attorney Jeff Lester says city officials will be discussing their next course of action.