Commissioners approve $20,072 change order after dispute over fire‑hydrant specs

Suwannee County commissioners on March 18 unanimously approved change order number 1 with Musick Construction Inc. to replace installed fire hydrants and extend the construction timeline by 28 days, increasing the project cost by $20,072.31 to be paid from existing grant funds.

Commissioner White led questions about how the wrong hydrants were installed and whether bid documents or the engineer should have specified the county’s standard hydrant. County Administrator Greg Scott and staff told the board that bid specifications referenced “Suwannee County specifications” but did not list the specific hydrant model, and that engineers generally must avoid specifying brands in bids. The county said it will add explicit specifications to future bid documents.

Staff said options for the already‑installed hydrants include finding another agency or water utility that uses the same model and could accept a swap or sale, returning unused inventory to the manufacturer, or uninstalling and replacing installed units if necessary. The county noted potential additional costs to stock varied repair kits versus replacing hydrants.

Commissioner White moved to approve the change order; Commissioner Perkins seconded. The board voted 5‑0 to approve the $20,072.31 change order with Musick Construction Inc., charged to grant funds, and asked staff to report back on attempts to sell or swap the installed hydrants and whether the engineer will assume any responsibility for associated losses.

Musick Construction Inc., North Park Professional Services (engineer) and Suwannee County were named in the discussion; staff said some of the issue resulted from a lack of specificity in the bid package and that the county will prepare more detailed specifications going forward.