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Committee forwards $251,007 change order for Yuba radio tower site; retaining wall drives cost increase
Summary
A $251,007 change order for final civil work at the Yuba radio tower site was forwarded to the full county board after staff and the project contractor cited a substantial retaining wall and related foundation work required at the chosen site; committee requested more detailed cost breakdown before final county approval.
Polk County’s Executive and Finance Committee voted to send a requested change order covering final civil construction work at the Yuba radio tower site to the full county board, while asking for additional cost breakdowns before final action. The change order total presented was $251,007.
Mike Day, the project representative on the meeting line, explained the county shifted the tower site after a tentative agreement with an initial landowner fell through. The alternate site chosen “across the road” required a large retaining wall because the parcel drops off quickly from the road. Day said the wall is a heavy precast/stones installation set on a poured foundation and that building the wall required additional work to grade the pad, increase shelter footings and add related items. He said the contractor procured the wall materials from a vendor and that the civil contractor — already under contract for the site — submitted the change order based on engineered plans.
Committee members pressed for a more detailed breakdown of the $251,007 figure, asking whether the cost included bonding/grounding work, why bonding appeared as an add-on, and whether the contractor had provided multiple bids for the retaining-wall scope. Day said the price came from the civil contractor and vendor pricing tied to the engineered design; the committee requested a clearer vendor quote and comparison before county-board action.
Committee action: a motion to move the change order to the Polk County Board passed with the explicit direction that staff provide more detailed cost documentation to the board prior to the county-board vote.
Other project notes from the packet and meeting: antenna installation at towers began the week of the meeting after an earlier schedule slip; staff said the hoped-for cutover/turn-on date for the new radio system remains December 15, but that date is contingent on remaining work and approvals.
The committee’s referral sends the change order forward but keeps oversight: the full county board will receive the change-order request along with requested cost substantiation and vendor detail.
