Commission approves $215,333 change order for Southeast Eighth Avenue stormwater project after deep lateral conflicts

City staff asked the Deerfield Beach City Commission on Feb. 4 to approve a change order with Emerald Construction Corporation, doing business as Nucor Construction, for $215,333.76 to address unforeseen subsurface conditions on the Southeast Eighth Avenue stormwater capital improvement project.

Eric Power, interim director for environmental services, explained the contractor encountered sewer laterals and unstable soils that required deeper excavation and, in some locations, a change from 36-inch to 24-inch storm pipe so the new storm line could be placed beneath existing sewer laterals. Power said spot digging revealed the conflicts were not present on every street but were expected on Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Avenues as work continues.

Power said the city negotiated a credit with the contractor: the contractor will no longer be responsible for some asphalt restoration and the city will take over final asphalt resurfacing at each phase; that credit offsets some costs. He said the revised total project budget is "a little more than $3,200,000" and staff proposed a revised substantial and final completion schedule with final completion moved into October 2025. Power also said landscaping from the Tree Preservation Trust Fund may be requested later.

Joseph Farber, the city engineer, answered public questions about the number of change orders. Farber said the contractor submitted 31 change-order requests to the city but the city had approved 12 as of Feb. 4; most approved items were small. "The 31 number is the amount of change orders that was presented to the city by the contractor, but not the amount that were approved by the city," he said. He said two major change orders addressed the deep-lateral conflicts and were presented under separate approvals.

Residents at the meeting criticized the contractor and past procurement decisions. Anne Hurst asked whether 31 change orders meant an average of nearly three per month; she criticized the contractor selection process and said Nucor's bid was far lower than others. Power and Farber said many change-order requests were minor and that some included credits.

Commissioner questions and staff answers addressed potential risks to older underground sewer systems. Assistant Director Josh Neiman said the city is already lining existing sewer pipes with nonintrusive plastic liners on an ongoing basis, which reduces the need for full replacement and can be done without major excavation.

The commission voted to approve the change order. Motion to approve the change order with Emerald Construction (Nucor) in an amount not to exceed $215,333.76 was made by Commissioner Hudak, seconded by Commissioner Parnas; roll-call votes were unanimous.

Staff said a dedicated field contact, Ronnie Williams, has been assigned to respond to resident concerns during construction.