Minnetrista council approves amendment for water treatment plant design after neighborhood‑driven redesign and debate over consultant fees

Aaron Balmer of A to S presented an amendment request to task order #11 for design and bidding of Minnetrista’s new water treatment plant, describing a redesign the firm made after resident feedback about an originally proposed driveway through a wooded easement.

Balmer said the redesign reroutes access away from the wooded easement, consolidates two stormwater ponds into one, reuses excavated material on‑site to form a screening berm, adds landscape screening and reduces the overall site footprint. He told council the configuration should reduce long‑term city maintenance and cut some construction quantities (asphalt, curb) while concentrating work in a smaller area.

Council members pressed A to S on the amendment amount. Balmer explained that the firm had accrued additional time — notably easement coordination and rework related to multiple design iterations and agency coordination — and that some of that time had been held rather than billed earlier because of contract limits. He said that, net of anticipated construction savings from the redesign, the design firm expected about $50,000 in site‑work savings but had accrued additional time that required contract authorization to continue work.

Council members asked for clearer itemized billing and raised why some hours dated before the redesign were included in the amendment request; Balmer said the firm bills as time comes in and that some legitimate hours were held until there was contractual ability to bill them. The council asked staff to continue monitoring costs and seek greater breakdowns of past and anticipated charges.

Balmer also described bid alternates for architectural enhancements and the clearwell; the architecture alternate will be priced as a bid alternate so the council can decide whether to accept it at award. The firm included a landscape plan to be included in the bid package as an alternate, and council discussed potential funding sources for landscaping (park dedication or a tree fund).

After discussion, the council moved, seconded and voted 5–0 to approve the amendment to A to S task order #11.

What happens next: staff will include the bid alternates and the revised landscape plan in the bid package and proceed toward advertisement and bidding per the project schedule.