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Lancaster council ratifies $25,000 amendment to GSBS contract for buried utility-line design after debate
Summary
Council ratified a $25,000 amendment to a GSBS Architects contract to design the burial of electric and communications lines at the utility center annex, amid council concerns that the fee is high for design-only work; the measure passed 5–2.
Councilors on Monday ratified an amendment to a contract between GSBS Architects and the Lancaster Economic Development Corporation that adds design work to bury electric and communication lines over green space at the utility center annex at 250 East 1st Street.
Deputy City Manager Carrie Neal told the council the amendment expands GSBS’s scope to include the design work, survey, easement documents and coordination with franchise utilities and Encore; the additional fee raises the contract from $194,564 to $219,564, an increase of $25,000 funded from the city’s 0.41% Economic Development Corporation sales-and-use tax.
“[The amendment] includes survey work, easement documents and coordination with our franchise utilities,” Neal said, describing the anticipated one-month timeframe to complete the additional design tasks.
Council member Mahal opposed the amendment’s price for design-only work. “For $25,000 for design only is absolutely too high,” Mahal said, arguing that Encore’s specifications and inspections mean much of the detailed engineering would come from the utility companies rather than the architect.
Other council members who spoke said the design expense is justified by the broader objectives: improving aesthetics, removing above-ground lines that constrain outdoor use of the property, and making the area more attractive to developers and investors. City staff noted the EDC board already approved the expanded scope and fee and the city attorney cleared the resolution as to form.
After deliberation, the council voted to ratify the amendment. The mayor announced the tally as 5 yes, 2 no; the amendment was approved.
What happens next: staff said GSBS will finalize design documents and coordinate required easements and franchise-utility signoffs; the amendment covers design only, not construction services.
Why it matters: burying overhead lines is intended to improve the utility center annex’s usability and visual character and to remove constraints on outdoor uses behind the building, but several council members signaled they will watch costs closely as the project moves toward construction.
