Grants Pass council approves guaranteed maximum price, clears way for replacement water treatment plant

The Grants Pass City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with Slayton Construction Group Inc. for Phase 2 services to build a replacement water treatment plant.

The vote, made by Councilor Rick and seconded by Councilor Kathleen, was 7-0 in favor (Councilors Joel, Indra, Rick, Kathleen, Eric, Rob and President Victoria voted yes). The resolution adopts a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and authorizes related temporary-power and permanent-power contracts needed to start construction.

Councilor Victoria Marshall said the city will begin using the new leadership structure to run meetings. The measure that authorized the contract passed without amendment.

The project team told council the plant has been in development since 2017 and has passed multiple design milestones. Jason, the city staff presenter, summarized recent design work, value-engineering and funding status and said conditional approval from the Oregon Health Authority drinking water program has been received, which permits construction to begin pending final approvals after construction and performance testing. "If you choose to adopt this resolution tonight, [Slayton] will be our on-site inspector for the duration of the project," Jason said, introducing contractors and the design-build team.

Jason described a multi-year…