In a recent government meeting, officials discussed a significant change order for the mill and overlay project awarded to Domi Construction, amounting to $680,904.74, with an additional change order of $331,740.65. The discussion highlighted the challenges faced due to incomplete information regarding existing water mains and infrastructure, which led to unexpected costs and extensive additional work.

City officials explained that the primary issue stemmed from outdated and inaccurate records concerning the water main's location and condition. This resulted in approximately $75,000 in extra expenses for water main pipe and related work, as well as $135,000 in increased concrete repairs due to larger and more numerous trenches than initially anticipated. Furthermore, discrepancies in the asphalt thickness—where plans indicated 2 inches but the actual depth was 4 inches—compounded the costs, necessitating additional asphalt to maintain uniform street levels.

Council members expressed concerns over the substantial cost overruns, questioning how such significant underestimations could occur. Officials acknowledged that the area in question is one of the city's older neighborhoods, where records are often incomplete, complicating project planning and execution. They noted that while such change orders are unfortunate, they are not uncommon, citing a previous project on First Avenue North that experienced nearly a 50% change order due to similar issues.

The council ultimately moved to approve the payment to Domi Construction, with officials emphasizing the need for better record-keeping and project planning in the future to mitigate such challenges.