Council approves $96,426 change order and 61‑day extension settling Spalding‑Pitts intersection contract

The Sandy Springs City Council on Tuesday approved change order No. 4 to the Vertical Earth Inc. contract for the Spalding Drive at Pitts Road intersection improvement project, settling field‑condition adjustments, utility relocation impacts and final accounting issues.

Public Works Director Marty Martin said the project encountered subsurface utility conflicts and drainage work that differed from plan assumptions; some bid quantities were understated and required adjustment. He said City of Atlanta utilities, Atlanta Gaslight and Google Fiber relocations contributed to delay and additional work. The proposed change order combines additional contract quantities the city determined were properly required, credit for assessed liquidated damages and charges for geotechnical retesting and signal repair.

Martin described the net proposed change order value as $96,426.09 and a time extension of 61 days; staff said project funds were available in project TS‑111. Councilmember John Paulson moved approval and Doctor Melody Kelly seconded. Council discussed whether contractors could seek recovery from utilities that caused delays; Martin said contractors may pursue claims against utilities but the city did not bear net additional cost in its view.

The council approved the change order by voice vote. Martin said the work is complete on the intersection and this change order represented “settling up” outstanding contract accounting and time extensions tied to verified delays and differing field conditions.