Change order adds $110,000 to Strongsville Town Center contract, city says work extended

Strongsville City Council members discussed a $110,000 change order for the Strongsville Town Center project on the Gilbane Building Company contract, saying the extra money covers staffing and general conditions tied to an extended work schedule.

Ms. Kosick, Strongsville City Council member (planning, zoning, engineering), introduced the item — listed on the agenda as 2025-05 — and asked for more detail: "Can you give us a little bit more color on what that is?".

Neil, city staff, replied that because the project schedule was extended, "Gilbane had to keep their unit out there and their staff out there to follow-up on the job. So this is all related to that extra time for Gilbane to keep their staff in place until the job was completed."

Council discussion noted the city’s total spending on the project was approaching $9,800,000; a council member asked whether the work was finished and whether this would be the final change order. Engineering staff said another change order was "probably coming" but that they believed they were "99.9% there." Roger Riachi of RFC reviewed and negotiated the increase, and staff said the proposed amount had been reduced in negotiation.

The item was presented as a change order request (change order number 17) increasing the contract by $110,000 for "addition to staffing and general conditions." The agenda listing and staff remarks recommended suspension of the rules and adoption of the change order; a formal council vote or final outcome was not recorded in the caucus discussion.

Why it matters: change orders raise the overall cost of a major municipal construction project and can affect the project schedule, remaining contingency and future maintenance planning. Council members sought confirmation this would be the last adjustment and were told a further, likely smaller, change order might still arrive.

Council staff said the increase had been negotiated down from a substantially higher amount and that RFC had reviewed the justification. No statutory citations or external approvals were mentioned in the caucus discussion.

Next steps: The item was prepared for the regular meeting agenda with staff recommendation to approve; the caucus record does not show the final vote.