Judge blocks Mob Museum work in contract dispute

A judge today issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Mob Museum project from going forward. He scheduled a hearing to consider a lawsuit alleging the Las Vegas City Council awarded the bid to an unqualified contractor.

The hearing is set for 9 a.m. Friday in District Court.

On July 1, the Las Vegas City Council awarded an $11.5 million contract to APCO Construction to remodel the historic federal courthouse downtown. It will house what is officially known as the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement.

The council action came despite the protests of second-place bidder Flagship Construction Co., which said APCO wasn't qualified and that the city had improperly thrown out earlier bids that Flagship had won.

Attorneys for Flagship filed the lawsuit Tuesday and asked for a speedy hearing.

"The opportunity for the court to intervene is short," attorney Leslie Godfrey wrote in an affidavit.

Without an injunction preventing the city from going forward with the project, he said, "Flagship and the public will suffer irreparable injury ... specifically, the city will execute a contract with APCO to complete the project."

In an e-mail, city spokesman David Riggleman said the city will defend its decision at the hearing.

"The city will be fully prepared at that time to argue that APCO Construction is the correct lowest responsive and responsible bidder," he wrote.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.