Hayden approves $95,000 change order to finish H6 lift station connections; overall sewer projects remain near budget

Hayden City Council voted to approve change order number 6 with Simcoe Construction to allow the lift-station contractor to complete three final underground connections needed to bring the H6 basin online.

Public works staff described that four interrelated projects (Phase 1 gravity sewer, Phase 2 gravity sewer, the H6 lift station, and the H6 force main) had to be completed and coordinated so sewer flow could be redirected into the new H6 basin. Because of sequencing uncertainty, the city negotiated with the lift-station contractor to perform the final connections rather than running a separate bid process. Staff characterized the work as "quite a bit of underground work" in confined spaces and said the contractor offered fair pricing; council members asked for cost context and prior savings.

Staff reported prior savings from value-engineering and changes (including different valve types, coatings, and odor-control adjustments) of roughly $88,000. Bringing change order #6 back into the contract results in a projected project cost approximately $15,000 over the original bid for the lift station work, about 0.4% of that contract, which staff said was a small variance. Council asked whether the $95,000 figure was the change-order amount; staff confirmed it.

Staff provided contract summaries for related work: Phase 2 gravity sewer original contract $2,733,350.83 with an anticipated final amount of $2,766,850.35 (approximate increase $33,500, about 1.2%); the H6 force main original $2,892,888 with an estimated final of $2,933,522.97 (increase about $40,700, 1.4%); and the H6 lift station original $3,098,410 with an anticipated final of $3,112,788 (increase about $14,378, 0.4%). Staff said the H6 lift station electrical work and remaining items would continue through approximately November.

Council approved change order number 6 by roll call. Staff said the combined changes leave the projects within typical construction contingencies and that the approach to have the lift-station contractor complete the final connections avoided another procurement process.

Why it matters: The change order completes work that allows the new H6 sewer basin to receive flow; the reported contract variances are small percentages of original contracts, which staff said indicates the projects remain near budget.