Council approves extra work on Junius Avenue after unexpected concrete, opts for live insertion valve to avoid boil order

Fergus Falls City Council on Oct. 6 approved change orders to the Junius Avenue reconstruction after contractors uncovered an undocumented concrete block beneath the asphalt and staff said a live insertion valve was needed to avoid triggering a Minnesota Department of Health boil-order that would force a multi-hour water shutdown.

City staff described the first change order as covering removal and disposal of the unexpected concrete and the additional cost of an insertion valve that can be installed while keeping water service live. Kyle Mayer, who introduced the item, said the concrete had no records showing it existed and that crews discovered it during excavation. He said the contractor proposed the insertion valve because a standard valve cut-in by the jail and a nearby bakery could have required a boil order and, according to staff, might have required moving inmates — an impractical option.

Mayer said the city relied on historical records for the street, and that the pavement and underground features dated from mid-20th-century construction and were not fully documented in the city files. He also described contingency funding built into the project and told council staff believed the project remained within the $100,000 contingency allocation.

Council also approved two additional, smaller change orders: one to increase sanitary sewer pipe sizing where field conditions showed a 10-inch main instead of the 8-inch shown in city records, and another to correct a larger-than-expected water service and an undocumented 4-inch fire suppression connection serving First Lutheran Church. Staff said those adjustments required modest additional expense to tie into existing utilities and to restore services properly.

The council voted to approve the change orders after staff discussion. City materials provided the line-item descriptions and the council's roll-call approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes. Council members asked questions about prior site investigations and contingency balances before voting.

The project managers said crews are installing curbs and that staff hopes there will be no further surprises, but acknowledged that undocumented conditions can arise in older parts of town. The council's approval allows the contractor to proceed with removal, utility adjustments and the insertion-valve installation.