Walton County awards $3.3 million contract for County Road 393 drainage improvements; CEI services approved

The Walton County Board of County Commissioners approved two companion actions on May 13 to move forward on County Road 393 drainage improvement projects.

The board authorized task order No. 2507 with HDR for professional construction engineering inspection (CEI) services, a not-to-exceed amount of $325,299, and awarded the construction contract (Contract No. 2509) to Gulf Coast Utility Contractors LLC as the lowest responsive bidder with a construction amount not to exceed $3,505,165.25.

Why it matters: The drainage projects are intended to reduce chronic flooding and improve stormwater conveyance along County Road 393. Grant funds and prior project budget adjustments were used to cover parts of the program scope; staff said some grant funds were reprogrammed from a Foreman property drainage project to meet Army Corps and grant deadlines.

Details County engineering director Chance Powell summarized the county’s wider capital workload and highlighted that the County Road 393 project would be constructed under the approved budget. The board discussed that a portion of the funds had been reallocated from another drainage project (the Foreman property) to avoid loss of grant funds.

Votes and implementation Both items (approval of the CEI task order and the construction award) were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The county will execute the CEI task order and construction contract, and the engineering department will manage construction oversight and grant compliance.

Contract amounts - CEI task order (HDR): not to exceed $325,299 - Construction contract (Gulf Coast Utility Contractors LLC): not to exceed $3,505,165.25

The projects will proceed through established construction oversight and grant reporting requirements; staff expects construction to follow the contractor schedule and to report progress at future board meetings.