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Council approves $198,681 amendment for wastewater treatment plant construction management
Summary
The Leonardtown Town Council approved a $198,681 amendment to a construction management task order for the wastewater treatment plant expansion, citing project delays tied to equipment failure and permitting but expecting final completion by September.
The Leonardtown Town Council on July 24 approved Amendment No. 2 to Task Order No. 28 for construction management and inspection services on the town's wastewater treatment plant expansion, authorizing $198,681 in additional funds.
The change order extends construction management through Sept. 26 to cover remaining programming, inspections and minor construction work, council members and staff said.
The amendment matters because the expansion is tied to other town projects and has experienced delays and extra costs: a broken part on the plant’s sludge press stalled work while the part was sourced and installed, and the contractor must empty and remove sludge from the lagoon before certain work can proceed. Michelle (Staff member) said the delay was costly but added that on-site coordination with regulators had moved the permitting process forward.
Michelle (Staff member) said, "We were able to get our permit right on the spot, so it went really well." She also told the council that using the existing construction inspector across the wastewater, well and water-tower projects has reduced additional inspection costs.
Council discussion noted prior contract adjustments. The council previously approved an increase that carried the work through June; staff said the earlier increase was roughly $162,000 and the new amendment brings the cumulative change closer to the expected final engineering and management costs. Staff told the council they expect final closeout in September if remaining work proceeds on schedule.
A councilmember moved to approve the amendment and another councilmember seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote; the minutes record the outcome as approved.
Background: staff reported an on-site meeting with the health department, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the GHD engineer who worked on the wastewater project; that meeting yielded a permit action that staff said saved time and money. Town staff also credited shared staffing and inspection resources for controlling some costs. The council did not set a new completion guarantee during the vote but directed staff to continue project oversight and to pursue cost recovery with the contractor for documented delays where appropriate.
Less critical: town staff mentioned a forthcoming community event when the water tower components are raised and said they would notify the public when the schedule is firm.
