Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
BRA moves $3.06M between fiscal years and approves extra RPR funding as lab construction timeline slips
Summary
Board approved moving $3,063,300 of unspent FY2025 funds into FY2026 and authorized up to $205,833 in additional resident project representative and contract-administration funds for the Environmental Laboratory Complex, citing a four‑month delay caused by a mislocated power line; staff said overall project budget remains unchanged.
The Brazos River Authority voted to amend the environmental services building capital project budget and to add funding for extended resident project representative (RPR) and contract administration services after construction of the Environmental Laboratory Complex was delayed by a misplaced power line.
Chief Environmental Officer Tiffany Malazan outlined the project history: a design contract approved in January 2022, notice to proceed issued April 1, 2024, and an original 660‑day construction schedule that placed completion in December 2025. Early in construction, staff discovered the power line serving the site was not located in the expected easement. Moving the line required drafting a new easement and coordinating with Encore to relocate it, producing about a 4½‑month delay and contributing to a construction‑contract request for extension through May 2026.
Malazan asked the board to (1) amend the architect/engineer contract to add $205,833 for additional RPR and contract-administration services (to fund oversight through May 2026 if needed), and (2) move $3,063,300 of unspent FY2025 budgeted funds into FY2026 so the project could continue without changing the total approved budget. She said the construction contractor requested the extension as a result of the initial delay but that the construction contract included a no‑cost change order so the Authority would not pay direct contractor delay costs. Management explained the $205,833 is charged to the architect/engineer’s not‑to‑exceed contract and would be covered by project contingency, and that staff preferred to present the worst‑case funding request now rather than return to the board multiple times.
Directors asked whether costs could be recovered from Encore or the original contractor, whether the RPR could be split between the lab and boathouse areas, whether incentive payments could accelerate schedule, and whether the board could defer the contract amendment until November for more clarity. Management said the power-line placement appeared to be an owner/utility placement issue dating from prior construction and there was no practical avenue to recover the delay costs; the budget move must be approved now to allow ongoing project spending, but details of the architect amendment could be revisited at a later meeting.
The board approved the budget amendment by unanimous roll-call vote. Management will return with clearer contract figures and further detail on RPR scope as requested by directors.
