The Monroe County Capital Improvement Board on Jan. 9 approved a contingency change order not to exceed $150,000 to address unstable subgrade beneath a building slab, after project staff said crews had found pockets of poor soil that must be excavated and replaced before the slab is poured.

Board members heard a technical briefing from project staff and contractors explaining that, although the slab design included geogrid to stabilize weak soil, crews encountered areas where the existing material is insufficient. Sarah Hempstead, speaking online, said, "So we knew we're gonna that the soil there is not great." Andrew Sherry, identified in the transcript as with the contractor/manager, explained sequencing: "So we are preparing for the silo grade, the subgrade, the geograd, back to stone."

Staff described the method to address affected spots: remove unsuitable material to a competent subgrade, place appropriate stone or engineered backfill, install geogrid where specified, then rebuild the slab in place. Presenters said this approach uses contingency funds as intended and is less expensive than aggressively scraping and replacing the entire site. As put in the meeting, "This is the cheapest. As we find it, we'll mitigate."

Officials also reviewed cost context. One presenter stated that "Our contingency to date would be just over... 500,000" and discussed the contingency percentage for the project (reported in the meeting at roughly 22%). The chair noted the requested change order represents about 6% of the contingency budget and asked that the motion include a 'not to exceed' cap of $150,000.

After the motion to approve — made by "mister McKim" and seconded by "Joyce" — board members asked follow-up questions about whether heavy equipment movement or inherent poor soils were the primary cause. Staff said it was a mixture of both and that weather (freeze/thaw, rain) has exacerbated conditions. Staff confirmed the overall project schedule remains on track, with steel delivery and on-site setup scheduled ahead of the next concrete operations.

The board took a roll call vote and recorded affirmative responses for the listed members in the transcript. The motion passed. The meeting adjourned with no further items on the agenda.

The board’s action authorizes staff to proceed with the limited contingency work described, subject to the stated not-to-exceed amount; the transcript did not specify contract amendment language or who will sign the change order, and staff indicated additional observational oversight by the project geotechnical consultant would guide removal depths and fill material decisions.