Canton approves Veolia membrane replacement, upholds staff position on Atkins change order dispute

The City of Canton on Dec. 4 authorized replacement of membranes at the Water Pollution Control Plant and limited the contract approval to an amount not to exceed $2,200,000 to allow for equipment, commissioning staffing and tariffs. Staff reported negotiating a vendor price of $1,700,000 with Veolia for replacement of all 16 membranes if the order is placed by Dec. 7; lead time would be about eight weeks if ordered by that date and 12–16 weeks thereafter.

"If these membranes are ordered by December 7, the lead time will be eight weeks," staff said. Because of added costs related to commissioning by Veolia and import tariffs for membranes coming from Hungary, staff recommended the council approve replacement authorization with a cap of $2,200,000. A motion to approve the Veolia replacement proposal not to exceed $2,200,000 carried with all members voting in favor.

Separately, staff reviewed a request from Atkins for reconsideration of previously denied change orders. Atkins had submitted change order requests earlier in the year (roughly $495,469 and later $621,332) asserting additional project management hours and delays; the company disputes aspects of the time impact analysis and attributes some delays to the COVID‑19 pandemic. City staff said the Nov. 10 denial was based on insufficient evidence that costs resulted from changes to project scope or unforeseen site conditions, and the mayor said the city supports staff's position.

Miss Watson summarized technical details including that the project is roughly 419 days past the original contract completion date and that Atkins reported many more RFIs and progress meetings than the original contract anticipated. Atkins' letter seeking reconsideration is in the council packet; the council did not direct immediate payment and the city record shows it is maintaining its denial position while acknowledging Atkins' submission for reconsideration.