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Commission reviews plan to replace damaged Vilas Road sewer segment; staff to seek not-to-exceed terms
Summary
Engineering staff reported TV inspection showing severe dips and standing water in an 18-inch Vilas Road interceptor; Gerke quoted $152,380 to replace about 198 feet. Commissioners asked staff to negotiate not-to-exceed dewatering terms and return next month with a firm price to avoid unplanned change orders.
Engineering staff told the commission that recent televising of the Vilas Road interceptor found no active flow and visible structural defects including severe dips and standing water, findings staff said are inconsistent with available record drawings.
"When you look at televising for a sanitary sewer, you should not see bends and pipes like you see ... and massive dips," Speaker 3 said, describing photos included in the commission packet. Staff said the problematic run lies upstream from a lift station and ties into an 18-inch interceptor installed during a 2020 project using horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
Speaker 3 said contractor Gerke — already working on the farm interceptor — submitted a proposal of $152,380 to replace roughly 198 feet and recommended performing pavement markings in-house to save approximately $4,000. Staff warned the commission the site sits in a low, groundwater-prone area and that open-cut repair through the creek will require dewatering and permitting.
Commission members pressed on risk and procurement: Speaker 2 asked whether post-install televising existed for the 2020 install and observed record drawings do not match the measured inverts; members worried that unforeseen conditions during open cutting could trigger multiple change orders and cause the cumulative added work to exceed the typical 10% change-order threshold, which would necessitate rebidding remaining work.
Speaker 3 acknowledged the risk and said staff will negotiate with Gerke to document dewatering scope and produce a written not-to-exceed price; "I will report back next month," Speaker 3 said. Commissioners asked staff to return with a firm number and clarified whether the item could be added as a change order to the existing contract or should be a separate bid.
No formal contract award or change order was authorized at the meeting. The commission directed staff to finalize scope, dewatering and permitting details, and to present a clarified cost and procurement recommendation at the next meeting.
