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West Chester committee reviews Gay Street stormwater pipe change order and budget impact
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Summary
Engineers told the Public Works Committee a change order to replace deteriorated corrugated metal stormwater pipe on Gay Street totals $41,657.36; a borough official said the change falls under an administrative approval threshold and was signed, and staff said contingency funds should cover the work.
Engineers reported that excavation for the Gay Street closure project uncovered multiple locations of deteriorated corrugated metal stormwater pipe and recommended replacing those sections now to avoid re-mobilization. "The change order's in the amount of $41,657.36," engineer Kelly Goff of RVE told the committee.
Chair Bernie Flynn asked where the work is located; Goff said the replacement covers CMP at the Four Corners area (High Street and Matlak). Committee discussion then turned to approval and funding: a committee member asked whether the change order would be placed on an upcoming agenda, and one official (Metrick) said it was not added because it falls within the borough's administrative approval threshold (cited in the meeting as $46,000) and that he had signed it. Metrick also said the total project budget is about $1.7 million and that the project includes a contingency (discussed in the meeting as $100,000'$125,000).
The committee discussed notification practices for change orders: staff said they will report all change orders to the committee and will bring items back for committee review if cumulative changes approach 10% of the project cost. The engineer offered to follow up on contractor scheduling for the specific West Gay Street block where a resident reported crews were not visible.
Why this matters: replacing failing stormwater pipe where curb/sidewalk or bollard construction will occur reduces the risk of early failure after installation and can save mobilization costs, but it uses contingency or capital funds and can change final project costs or schedule.
What remains unresolved: the transcript records both a $41,657.36 figure (engineer) and a separate $46,000 threshold (administrative approval) cited by a borough official who said he signed the change order; committee members asked for confirmation of which budget line will cover the work and for a follow-up on the contractor's schedule. The item was not taken as a roll-call vote during the discussion in the transcript.
The committee did not record a roll-call vote on this change order during the meeting; staff said they will place related paperwork on the next agenda or follow up with committee members as appropriate.
