Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust approves minutes, multiple contracts and emergency repairs

The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust on June 3 approved routine minutes and dockets and voted separately to authorize four emergency repair contracts and a contract addendum related to water and sewer work.

The trust began by approving the minutes from its May 20 meeting and then passed the consent docket and the concurrence docket. The trust noted that the two concurrence items involved projects with the City of Oklahoma City and that neither project included Water Utilities Trust funds.

Trustees then voted on four emergency items that each required a separate motion and roll call. The record shows the following emergency actions: - Item 5a: Emergency sanitary sewer repair in the vicinity of Southwest 15th to McArthur, amount stated as $350,000. Approved. - Item 5b: Emergency sanitary sewer repair in the vicinity of Northwest 16th Street, amount stated as $472,700. Approved. - Item 5c: Emergency water project (work order issued under on-call contract with Cimarron Construction) around 120 Second Portland in the amount of $320,715.35. Approved. - Item 5d: Emergency contract increase with Parathon Construction Company and Rudy Construction Company for additional driveway/sidewalk/mailbox services tied to water-line replacements; the total contract amount stated in the record was $10,200,000, described as an increase of $6,000,000 from the prior competitively bid amount. Approved.

Trustees also ratified addendum number 1 to a contract with Southwest Water Works LLC for water-line replacements around Southwest 150th Street to Southwest 154th Street. Staff explained the addendum followed an apparent bidding error in which the contractor inadvertently submitted two bids; the contractor’s second submission was the higher amount and staff recommended awarding to what was identified as the contractor’s intended (second-lowest) bid. When asked how staff could be sure the contractor intended the second submission, project staff said, “We’re going off their intentions, sir.” The price difference was described in the discussion as “minor”; an exact, undisputed delta in the meeting record is not specified.

There were no public speakers listed on the agenda and no additional items from trustees. The meeting was then adjourned.

Votes recorded in the meeting transcript were described as passing; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally of individual trustees’ votes in the public record excerpt provided.