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Select Board approves revised change orders for Skowhegan athletic complex after clarifying temporary shelter cost
Summary
The Select Board approved $24,199 in change orders for the new athletic complex after removing a $1,572 temporary water‑meter shelter charge and agreeing to have public works build the shelter in‑house.
The Skowhegan Select Board voted on Oct. 14 to approve revised change orders for the town's athletic complex, approving $24,199 in extra work after removing a $1,572 charge for a temporary water‑meter shelter.
The board initially considered approving $25,771 in change orders, which included a $1,572 temporary water‑meter shelter, but that motion failed. After discussion and a staff recommendation to build the water‑meter shelter in‑house at lower cost, the board approved a new motion to remove the temporary shelter charge and adopt the remaining change orders. The motion carried, 5‑0.
Why it matters: The change orders cover multiple construction items tied to the town's new baseball field and related site work, including fence and gate installation, additional sod, a charge for sawed installation and removal related to primary power, and a credit on the access drive and parking area tied to sequencing and future work. Approving the revised package allows contractor work to continue while the town avoids paying for a temporary structure it will build with town crews.
Board members, project staff and the clerk of works described the key changes at the meeting. The largest single line in the package was a credit of $49,129 for the access drive and parking lot, which project staff said will be carried forward and applied to the next phase when underground utilities and final finishes are installed. Town staff and the contractor said moving that cost is intended to avoid re‑doing pavement that will be excavated again when future phases are built.
The board also approved three additional items: an $6,199 fence‑gate installation, a $15,000 sod/installation charge tied to extra square footage the contractor placed beyond what the plans called for, and a $3,000 charge to remove debris for the primary power installation. The clerk of works described the sod work as necessary because the contractor had installed more sod than the original plan called for; the town negotiated a discounted price for the extra material and installation.
The board discussed whether the contractor or the town should construct temporary features and whether work should be done now or deferred until federal grant funding for later phases is secured. Select Board members emphasized that the contractor remained the lowest overall bidder and that the finished field “looks terrific,” while staff said they would perform the shelter construction in‑house to save money.
The board adopted the revised change‑order package in a single motion. The vote: motion passed 5‑0.
The project manager said the parking area will be left passable for winter and finalized later to avoid re‑excavation when future utilities are installed. The board directed staff to continue coordination with the contractor on sequencing and to bring any further change orders back for approval.
