Council approves $319,123 change order for contaminated-soil cleanup at new public safety building

The Virginia City Council Committee of the Whole on Aug. 5 approved change order 52 for $319,123.33 to cover contaminated‑soil remediation at the new public safety building site and agreed to a limited time extension through September for remaining south‑end work. City Administrator Britney Benes presented the item and contractors described the remaining tasks.

The work covered by the change order addresses an initial contaminated area and follows a council authorization earlier this summer to allow up to $400,000 for remediation. Sean Lewis, senior project manager with Kraus Anderson, told the council the change order covers work already done and placed on site; he said additional "hot spots" were found near the ponds that may require removal of roughly 200 cubic yards of soil pending additional testing. "We think what's left we can keep within that $400,000 that was approved back in June," Lewis said.

The nut of the debate was cost, schedule and scope. Lewis said building punch list work is underway and the project still targets being operational in September and holding an October ribbon‑cutting. He said the temporary certificate of occupancy was expected the week of Aug. 5 and furniture installation would begin around Aug. 19. He also explained how holding off on landscaping and native seeding until August–September created a cascading schedule effect that delayed finishing the southeast corner, the stockpiling of topsoil there and completion of the ground‑mounted solar array.

Councilors pressed for specificity on the time extension. Councilor Johnson asked that the extension be limited to the landscaping and south‑end remediation; staff agreed to clarify that limit in the motion. Councilor Paulson moved approval; Councilor Bach Schneider supported. Councilors then approved the change order by voice vote. The motion included the September time extension to allow completion of the south‑end landscaping, seeding and remaining remediation work.

Staff and contractors also confirmed contingency and budget numbers. Lewis said the project remained within budget, with about $280,000 of contingency remaining after accounting for the $400,000 remediation authorization and approved change orders to date. He said the city and contractor would pursue grant funding (NTS and consultant Wold were mentioned as helping with grant applications) that might later reimburse a significant portion of remediation costs but that grants were not guaranteed.

The council recorded concerns about high remediation costs and asked staff to provide more detail about disposal, hauling and contractor choices. A motion to approve the change order passed; the council did not adopt any separate new policy action beyond approval of the specific change order and its limited time extension. The council also approved related procurement and facility schedule updates during the same presentation.

Timeline and next steps: contractors will continue testing of stockpiled soils to determine proper disposal, staff will report any need to tap additional contingency beyond the $400,000 authorization, and the council asked staff to document that the September extension applies to landscaping and south‑end remediation only.