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Council approves change orders to add concrete bus pad at Aviation/Artesia; business owner objects
Summary
Council approved change orders to add a rapid-set concrete bus pad at Aviation and Artesia Boulevard (funded by Measure R) and raised the engineer's authorization limit for future change orders. A nearby business owner told the council contractor performance cost him customers and demanded compensation.
The City Council approved change orders to the Aviation/Artesia widening project that add a rapid-set concrete bus pad at the bus stop on Aviation at Artesia Boulevard and extend contractor working days by approximately three days. City Engineer Lauren Sablan said the pad replaces asphalt to reduce future damage and that Measure R funds would cover the additional work.
Council debated contractor performance and schedule; staff said the contractor is within working-day allowances and expected to finish major work months ahead of the temporary construction easement deadline. The council also approved increasing the contract authorization limit to allow the city engineer to approve future change orders up to a specified cap to complete the remaining contract scope.
During public comment, Mike Madani, owner/operator of the South Bay Shell and Car Wash at Aviation/Artesia, strongly criticized the contractor, saying construction had cost him about half his business since work began and threatened litigation or claims for compensation. He asked why the bus pad had not been installed at the same time as prior work. Staff responded they had not included a concrete pad originally but proposed upgrading to concrete now to avoid repeated repairs.
Council voted unanimously to approve the change orders and the revised authorization limit and directed staff to continue communication with impacted businesses about schedule and access.
