Commissioners approve $2.18 million addendum for US‑31 (Baker's Corner) infrastructure work

Hamilton County commissioners on April 14 approved an addendum to the BOT agreement for the US 31 infrastructure project, commonly referred to in the meeting as the Baker's Corner project, that incorporates previous terms and establishes a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $2,183,709.

The county attorney presented the addendum and described it as a formalization of previously negotiated terms, including the GMP and incorporated contract language. “The guaranteed max price is still $2,183,709,” the county attorney said in presenting the document.

Commissioners voted after a motion and second. During the roll call a commissioner voiced an objection on the record, but the chair called for the motion to proceed; staff indicated they would follow up with procurement steps. The attorney asked for a notice to proceed to be prepared so the contractor (identified in the meeting as Reynolds) could begin ordering materials, though that administrative step was later described as not strictly necessary and was clarified in the meeting comments.

The addendum covers lift station 6 and associated water and sewer mains tied to the US 31 project; staff said the GMP presented on April 14 is unchanged from the figure provided in previous briefings.

Next steps noted in the meeting include finalizing paperwork and moving forward with procurement and materials acquisition as appropriate under the terms of the agreement. The board did not discuss new county funding for the addendum during the public portion of the meeting.