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Council told $16,300 change order needed for Coolidge Avenue storm inlets; work will stay within contingency
Summary
The township engineer recommended replacing eight storm inlet frames on Coolidge Avenue so new NJDOT-compliant headpieces and bicycle-safe grates will fit; administration said the $16,300 proposal increases the net project cost by about $10,000 but remains within bid contingency and will be submitted for council approval at final payout.
At the council meeting, the administrator reported a required change order for the Coolidge Avenue resurfacing project after the township engineer found existing metal frames incompatible with NJDOT-required headpieces and bicycle-safe grates.
According to an email the administrator read into the record, engineer Glenn Beckmeyer Jr. attached a proposal ‘‘to upgrade the 8 storm inlet frames, headpieces, and bicycle safe grates on Coolidge Ave.’' The proposal was priced at $16,300.
Administrator Mark DeCarlo told the council the change order will result in a $10,000 net increase but will remain within the 20% contingency for the bid award and will not push the project over the original contract amount. "This change order will not go over the bid award amount," DeCarlo said. He said he would request formal council approval for the change order when the final payout is presented.
DeCarlo explained that engineers could not reasonably have accounted for the issue during design without disassembling storm inlets during bidding and that contingency funds exist for such unforeseen adjustments. Council members questioned whether engineers should have anticipated bicycle-safe grates but the administrator said the change was for the metal frame, not the grate itself, and noted contingency was designed for these circumstances.
The council did not take an immediate vote on the change order at the meeting; the administrator said he would present a formal approval request with the final payout schedule.
