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South Windsor panel approves change orders, clears invoices to advance Pleasant Valley Elementary closeout
Summary
At a May 13 meeting, South Windsor officials approved two change orders — including removal of crosswalk connections on Ellington Road and a small French-drain adjustment — and authorized payment of three invoices totaling $3,935 to move the Pleasant Valley Elementary School project toward final closeout.
South Windsor officials voted Tuesday to approve final change orders and pay outstanding invoices to advance the closeout of the Pleasant Valley Elementary School construction project.
The Owner's Project Manager (OPM) said the town asked that a temporary berm placed along a property line to redirect surface runoff be added to the as-built site plan by administrative change order. The OPM characterized the berm as a temporary, preventive measure and said it was "not a design flaw" but a town-requested adjustment. The panel approved a small, DPI‑processed change order to remove and replace stone in a French drain near the southwest corner; the OPM said DPI is passing through a $2,900 fee with no markup and expected the actual work to cost nearer $2,000.
The action came after the OPM reported other remaining punch-list items, including concerns about trench drains between fields and a detention-basin level spreader that may not be performing as intended. The OPM said some trench drains were designed to collect runoff and cautioned against removing stone in all locations, noting it could reduce drainage performance. The OPM also noted project savings of about $211,000, attributed in part to a reduced sidewalk/crosswalk change order and other adjustments.
Commissioners approved a larger change order to remove certain sidewalks and crosswalk stripe connections on Ellington Road — a DOT request that reduced the previously proposed cost from roughly $49,000 to about $21,539. That change order passed on a roll-call vote, 5 in favor and 1 opposed.
The committee also approved payment of three invoices for the project totaling $3,935 (two consultant invoices of $1,425 and $2,280 and one invoice for $230). A motion to approve the invoices was made and seconded and passed on a voice vote.
Beyond the votes, the OPM described a drainage tie-in at Ellington Road where a 15‑inch culvert was retained instead of an 18‑inch because an existing water line prevented upsizing; DPI reviewed that condition and deemed the 15‑inch adequate, and the $18,000 contingency hold for that work was removed. The OPM said the team would reconvene to assess a level spreader and other sitework that remain unresolved before final state reimbursement can be filed.
"I don't wanna go another summer and open up the school another academic year and we're still working on this," Mackey, the meeting chair, said during the discussion, urging timely closeout. The OPM said once Gilbane and the other outstanding items are closed out, the final state reimbursement request should be submitted; with the state's updated invoicing system the OPM estimated a turnaround of roughly four to six weeks.
The panel directed staff to forward the approved administrative change orders to the town and to continue assembling final documentation for state reimbursement. The meeting adjourned after the votes.
