The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly finance committee on July 17 approved a $396,279.33 change order to an existing contract with Graham Industrial Coatings LLC to fund additional repair and restoration work on the bow of the S.S. Nana riverboat. The change order raises the contract total to $2,691,975.18, committee staff said.

The change order was presented by Cuba Agenda, borough chief of staff, who said the work pays for repairs where “a significant decay in rot was discovered last summer.” Agenda said the change order is separate from grant funding to paint the vessel and that the amendment is compliant with FNSB Title 16. “Therefore, we are recommending approval of this contract amendment in the amount of $396,279.33,” Agenda said.

Why it matters: The S.S. Nana is a borough-owned historic vessel that has required recurring maintenance. Committee members pressed staff for a clearer accounting of the project’s cumulative cost, change orders and contingency funding before agreeing to add more money.

Committee debate focused on cost history and project timing. Assemblymember Kress, who made the motion to approve, said, “I think that we have to finish this job.” Committee members asked staff for the original engineer’s estimate and the contractor’s base bid. Staff reported that the contractor’s base bid was about $1,967,000 and that the engineer’s estimate on the January 2024 bid tabulation was roughly $1.17 million. Staff said there had been previous change orders totaling about $328,000 and that the assembly had appropriated an additional $500,000 for the project earlier in the fiscal-year CIP update; the current change order will use $396,279.33 of that appropriation.

On scheduling, staff said the additional bow work would be completed before the planned painting work and that the contractor intends to finish by mid-September.

Assemblymembers raised questions about contingency management and why rot was not identified earlier. Staff and a borough presenter said contractors uncovered additional decay while opening the structure for repairs. One assemblymember asked whether borough maintenance programs in prior years had masked rot under paint; staff replied that seasonal crews had done some painting in past years but that those programs were discontinued about eight to 10 years ago.

The motion to approve passed 4–3. Recorded yes votes were Kress, Haney, Guttenberg and O'Neil; recorded no votes were Lojani, Wilson and Roterman.

Looking ahead: Staff said they could compile a historical summary of borough spending on the vessel if the assembly wants a full accounting of past investments and remaining work needed to fully refurbish the boat.