Committee defers vote on $182,709 Schofield Avenue amendment, asks for design/construction breakdown and schedule

The Public Works and Utility Committee debated a proposed $182,709.38 amendment to the Schofield Avenue construction services contract and voted Aug. 11 to defer action until staff provides a clearer separation of design and construction costs and a schedule showing how the amendment affects project completion.

Staff said the amendment covers both additional design work and time-and-materials construction observation tied to a longer-than-anticipated construction duration. Public works staff and the design consultant said the project evolved from an anticipated pavement replacement to a larger reconstruction once curb, utility and sidewalk work were examined in the field. The staff member noted time pressure tied to tax-increment financing, saying the project needed to proceed to retain funding that would otherwise expire in March 2026.

Tanya, a consultant on the project, told the committee she had assumed the scope would be a pavement replacement when she priced the design and that the project later required additional profile and alignment work over a roughly 6,000-foot corridor. She said roughly $37,300 of additional design work had been incurred and that about $80,000 of the amendment reflected late-stage design and early construction services; an additional approximately $100,000 was estimated for construction observation that had not yet been billed. "With the current schedule, the contractor being ahead of schedule and having multiple crews out there, we also had multiple people. I'm confident we wouldn't go over this amount if the project stays the same and the schedule stays the same," Tanya said.

Committee members pressed for clarity. Michael (public works staff) agreed to provide a split showing how much of the $182,709.38 amendment was for design and how much was for anticipated construction observation, and to provide the contractor's schedule updates (the contractor provides schedule updates about every two weeks). Members asked for that information before the next meeting.

After discussion a committee member moved to defer action until the next meeting with instructions to provide a detailed breakdown of design versus construction costs and the project schedule; the motion passed by voice vote. The committee asked staff to circulate the requested breakdown and schedule in advance of the next meeting so members have time to review the documentation.