Board approves change order and signs off on substantial completion for New River dredging

The East Ascension Drainage District board on May 12 approved a change order for the New River dredging project and signed off on the project's substantial completion, according to agenda actions discussed and passed during the meeting.

Agenda materials listed Change Order No. 3 as adding contract time and increasing the contract amount by roughly $374,316.69, bringing the contract total to approximately $5,242,911.69, staff said on the record; the board moved to approve the change order and recorded no objections on the audio record. Project engineer Davis Cole introduced himself and answered commissioners' clarifying questions during the item.

Commissioners earlier had postponed consideration of this item to give the engineer time to review excavation quantities and negotiate a resolution with the contractor, Boone Construction. Staff explained the discrepancy emerged because post-construction surveys were not completed as specified, prompting reliance on truck tickets and a more detailed review of excavation quantities; the engineer had revised an internal figure downward during the review.

Following the change-order approval, the board also voted to approve the substantial completion of the New River dredging project. Motions on both items were made and seconded with no objections noted on the transcript; no roll-call vote totals were recorded in the audio.

The board additionally approved routine meeting business earlier in the session, including acceptance of the April 7, 2026 meeting minutes. The meeting adjourned after completion of the agenda.

Next steps: staff will file the change order with project records and proceed with any administrative closeout steps required by the contract; if further negotiation with the contractor is needed, staff said they will report back.