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Council committee advances ARPA demolition and blight‑remediation contract changes; DTE disconnects, basements caused delays and extra costs
Summary
The committee approved sending multiple ARPA‑funded demolition and blight‑remediation contract time extensions and some funding increases to formal business. City staff said most delays stem from waiting for DTE utility clearances and from discovering basements or environmental issues that required additional work.
The Public Health and Safety Standing Committee approved sending a large group of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)‑funded demolition and blight‑remediation contract amendments to formal new business after staff said most delays were caused by utility disconnects and unexpected site conditions.
Group Executive Luan Counts and Sonia Clifton, ARPA project manager with the Office of Contracting and Procurement, told the committee that many contracts required only time extensions while others needed additional funds for backfill or for abatement where basements or environmental contamination were discovered. “We have experienced at least one issue, mostly DTE, on every one of these projects,” Counts said, explaining that the city cannot complete demolition until utilities are cleared and disconnected.
Clifton gave a line‑by‑line summary to the committee. Several contracts were described as “time only” to allow more days for DTE disconnects; others included incremental funding increases to pay for basement removal or environmental abatement required by state regulators. The committee grouped items 7.4 and 7.9 through 7.39 and approved sending them to formal new business with the recommendation to approve.
Earlier in the meeting the committee approved several individual emergency and residential demolition and restoration contracts (7.1, 7.3, 7.5, 7.6) and moved them forward to formal business. Counts said the city is prioritizing communication with contractors and recommended continued coordination to ensure that DTE and other utility clearances do not stall work further.
Committee members asked staff to confirm DTE disconnection status on outstanding contracts and to ensure council members had been briefed before the items appear on the formal agenda. Several motions were passed by unanimous consent in committee, with staff noting the need to “bring back” specific items as disconnects are cleared or as additional documentation becomes available.
No new ARPA appropriation was requested at the meeting; staff said the work represents reallocation and change orders against existing ARPA project balances.
