Ashland commissioners approve multiple contracts, accept USAR grant and confront $750,000 overrun on Winchester Avenue streetscape

The Ashland Board of City Commissioners on Thursday approved a series of ordinances and contracts, accepted a U.S. Homeland Security grant to equip a regional urban search-and-rescue trailer, and learned that changes to the Winchester Avenue streetscape project have increased costs by about $750,000 beyond the original contract.

Why it matters: The Winchester Avenue increase represents a major unplanned expense for a downtown capital project and prompted commissioners to press staff about who authorized extra work. The actions taken Feb. 27 advance multiple city infrastructure, public-safety and economic-development projects while also raising questions about project oversight.

The board unanimously adopted several second-reading ordinances including change orders for the 20 Sixth Street pump station rehabilitation project — increasing that contract by $19,749 — and a separate change order increasing demolition costs at 2414 Beach Street by $1,600. The board also approved amendments to the city’s classification and compensation plan that add a director of engineering job description and revise other job descriptions.

City fire leadership described a $280,000 U.S. Homeland Security grant that will provide a 20-foot collapse-rescue trailer equipped for regional response; the city’s share of that purchase is about $6,700. “This is gonna be a 20 foot trailer with equipment that we will be able to use for our collapse rescue response,” the Fire Chief said, adding the equipment strengthens the area’s ability to respond to disasters without waiting on resources from larger cities.

On the consent agenda the commission…