Concrete problems at new park near Ohio Statehouse

COLUMBUS (AP) — Crumbling concrete is being replaced before the official opening of a new park where a shopping mall once stood near the Ohio Statehouse.

Contractor Mark Corna says there were manufacturing flaws in the ready-made concrete borders installed at Columbus Commons. He tells The Columbus Dispatch the most prominent trouble spots are being swapped out with new concrete in time for the park’s grand opening on May 26.

Corna says the rest will be replaced in the fall. He says fixing the concrete problems will cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Columbus Commons will have a carousel, an amphitheater and a food stand. The downtown park has replaced Columbus City Center, a 20-year-old mall that died a slow death before it closed in 2009.