(WND)—Barack Obama’s presidential library opened a few weeks ago with a star-studded celebration, and ongoing criticisms about its Star Wars-prison appearance and failure to pay contractors who worked on the monolith project.

Now one subcontractor has shut down operations because the project manager has refused to pay for work that was done on the project.

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A report at Fox News outlines how Mike Owen, owner of Adamson Plumbing Contractors, confirmed his company was on the verge of collapse because of payments that were due, but never were made.

“Laying off close to 30 people is something that no owner in our industry wants to do,” Owen told the publication. “It’s a hard thing to do, especially when you know you can finish them and the company can still make money. But we were put in a pretty bad corner.”

He confirmed the company had to abandon a number of other projects because of the Obama center financial fallout.

Adamson did work at the center under the name Marsh-Adamson and has filed a $1.72 million mechanic’s lien against the property, putting the dispute over payments into the courts.

Fox reported, “The company is one of several subcontractors to report financial trouble after working on the center, which was promoted as a transformative economic opportunity for small and minority-owned businesses.”

Fox said its own investigation of the situation named several subcontractors, including black-owned companies, “that said they were owed money or had absorbed losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions.”

The largest single claim for nonpayment by the Obama center apparently came from the Concrete Collective, which is seeking more than $40 million in additional payment.

Owen confirmed his company’s actual losses from the center, because of delays, rework, labor overruns and project changes, reached $3.9 million.

He reported spending months negotiating with Lakeside Alliance, the construction manager, and failing to reach a resolution before taking action.

STIFFED: An Obama Presidential Center plumbing subcontractor has now suspended operations and laid off 25 workers amid an almost $4 million payment dispute.

Owner Mike Owen said the breaking point came when a recent payment failed to arrive, forcing his company to abandon half a… pic.twitter.com/5HIgEAh9b0

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) July 23, 2026

Owen said in the report under an agreement requiring his company to provide plumbers for last-minute work, the project manager was supposed to release a payment of $100,000, but it did not arrive on time.

He said he had no choice but to suspend operations June 25.

“Not getting that large sum of money just kind of pulled the brakes on the train. It was just the final death blow to the company,” he explained. “Rather than try to stretch it out and go bankrupt, I just decided the responsible thing was to shut it down. We’ll regroup, and we’ll see where we’re at come September.”

He said the $100,000 arrived later, but it only came weeks after he had stopped work and laid off his employees.

“We’re still deep in the hole of what they owe us,” he said.

Lakeside Alliance, a venture involving Turner Construction, UJAMAA Construction, Powers & Sons Construction, Brown & Momen and Safeway Construction, said “contractual closeout continues long after the doors have opened.”

The project was estimated originally to cost $350 million but already had cost $830 million with millions more in billions expected to arrive.

“Meanwhile, just $1 million has been deposited into a promised $470 million reserve intended to protect Chicago taxpayers if the center encounters financial trouble,” the report said.

Further, the Obama Foundation secured the 19.3-acre Jackson Park site through a 99-year lease requiring a one-time $10 payment, Fox News said.