Sports authority approves architect change order and other contract adjustments for South Broad ballpark

The Chattanooga Sports Authority on Aug. (date not specified) approved a series of contract adjustments for the South Broad District ballpark, including a $735,906.75 change order to the executive architect contract and related payments for materials testing, an escrow disbursement to a landowner and a gas-line extension.

The actions approve: a $735,906.75 change order plus a $45,000 reimbursable-expense allowance for the executive architect contract (total change-order amount $780,906.75, raising the contract to $5,123,906.75); a $143,615 change order to add special inspections to the materials-testing contract (total $327,062); payment of $167,862 to Pike Properties from unallocated bond interest under an escrow agreement; and authorization to execute an agreement with Chattanooga Gas Company and pay up to about $80,251 for a natural-gas line extension to serve ballpark concession operations. Each measure was moved, seconded and approved without recorded opposition.

Why it matters: The changes adjust professional-services and inspection scopes while finance staff said the work remains within the stadium budget of $86 million and the project'wide capital stack of $125 million. Board members and staff stressed the need to track remaining unallocated funds and to show TIF (tax increment financing) receipts versus projections at future meetings.

City finance presentation and project update Paul Boylan, who introduced the financial progress report as a member of the city's accounting department, said the project shows roughly $59 million in encumbrances on the stadium line and that the authority will make a third drawdown of about $14…