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Redevelopment commission ups Lawson Fisher on-call cap, approves frontage road design addendum tied to AWS campus
Summary
The commission approved a one-time increase to Lawson Fisher's on-call agreement to $150,000 for GM/AWS-related small projects and separately approved an addendum expanding the frontage road design contract by $362,187 to just over $1,000,000, with staff saying AWS is expected to reimburse the county under a forthcoming development agreement.
The St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission approved two separate items involving Lawson Fisher Associates: a one-time increase to an on-call engineering agreement and an addendum to a frontage road design contract.
Staff described multiple small but time-sensitive engineering needs tied to the GM/AWS development (NIPSCO coordination, subdivision plats, ditch relocation and easement work) and asked the commission to raise the on-call cap to $150,000 for the current cycle. Staff said about $55,000 has already been expended this year under prior agreements and that the $150,000 figure is a one-time expansion, with the county intending to revert to a $75,000 cap in future cycles. Commissioners discussed per-contract thresholds for individual tasks (staff suggested typical per-item work is in the $5,000'$10,000 range for routine items) and confirmed other firms (Christopher Burke) also hold similar on-call agreements at $75,000. The motion to approve the $150,000 on-call agreement passed unanimously.
Separately, staff presented Addendum No. 1 for a frontage road design project that will extend from Strawberry Road (south of State Road 2) west across the AWS site to the International Motors/Navistar property. The addendum adds $362,187 to the contract, bringing the total to just over $1,000,000. Staff said the county expects AWS to reimburse these costs under a road development agreement that is still being negotiated; in the short term the county will cover the expense. Jared Huss of Lawson Fisher explained the project sequencing and the decision to parcel related ditch and structure work into separate bid packages to protect site access and schedule.
Commissioners asked about subcontracting for landscape architecture (DLZ) and whether the county will be reimbursed; staff confirmed they expect reimbursement from AWS per the ongoing negotiations. The addendum vote carried unanimously.
Both approved items were recorded and will be administratively implemented by redevelopment staff.
