Selectmen approve $31,381 change order for Mount Pleasant Street project and extend contractor deadline to June 30, 2025

The Town of North Brookfield Board of Selectmen on Feb. 11 approved a $31,381 change order to Haley Ward for additional construction administration and construction engineering on the Mount Pleasant Street reconstruction project and amended the contract to extend the time of performance through June 30, 2025.

The board approved the change order and a contract amendment that updates Article 6 (time of performance) to extend the project to June 30, 2025, with the exception of closeout activities. The board voted on the change order and on the separate amendment extending the contract term; both motions carried.

During discussion, selectmen questioned whether the town should seek to recover engineering costs from the contractor for work that extended beyond the original schedule. One selectman said the town “wasn’t supposed to incur any change” and asked whether the contractor might be responsible; another noted that Haley Ward served as the project engineer and owner’s project manager (OPM), and that the town could pursue the contractor but that the engineer also provided oversight. The board agreed to proceed with the contract amendment while negotiations over contractor responsibilities continue.

The board recorded that the change-order funds were for construction administration and construction engineering; no additional funding source was specified in the meeting discussion. Selectmen also noted separate pending change orders related to contractor claims and police details that will come back to the board for future votes.

The board approved the change order and the time-extension amendment during the meeting.