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Finance Committee approves $82,600 change order for public safety building chiller project
Summary
Committee members approved an $82,600 budget adjustment after staff reported omitted controls and unexpected structural work uncovered during chiller replacement at the public safety building.
The Wausau Finance Committee on Aug. 12 approved an $82,600 change order for the public safety building chiller project after staff said the project required additional controls and unexpected structural work.
Alder Alden Kearney asked why the project budget had risen. "The budget for the project was $215,000, and then, it went up to '$3.47' because we didn't allow enough. And now it's going up another $82,600," Kearney said during the meeting; the transcript contains a reference to "$3.47" that staff characterized as part of an earlier budget increase. Michael, a staff member, pointed to omitted controls in the engineering specifications and structural work uncovered when crews opened the roof, saying those items had been overlooked when the engineer returned specifications.
Eric, facilities staff, told the committee the engineering firm had designed the project but did not include certain controls and that crews found an additional concrete plate in the roof framing that required extra work. Staff described the increase as a consequence of change orders tied to unforeseen conditions and omissions in the original specifications. Eric also said the city would consider procurement changes — including soliciting direct vendor proposals for maintenance‑style projects and creating a standard contract document for services that are not strictly professional services or construction — to reduce future change orders.
Member Henke moved to approve the $82,600 change order as amended to correct a fiscal‑impact typo identified in the meeting (the resolution listed $86,200 in error); a second from Member McElhinney carried the motion by voice vote.
Why it matters: Staff said the additional funding will close out work the city already discovered in the field and that procurement changes could limit the need for similar late adjustments on comparable projects.
What the committee decided: Approved the $82,600 change order; staff will proceed and consider procurement and contract‑document changes for future projects.
