Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Construction Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves 12 change orders for Emergency Operations Center amid questions about plan checks and large costs
Summary
Huntington Park approved 12 change orders for its Emergency Operations Center project. Councilmembers pressed staff on the absence of an initial plan check and large single-item change orders (including window replacement and scope changes). Staff said many items were found during construction and that the change orders are within the revised project budget.
HUNTINGTON PARK — The City Council approved a package of 12 change orders for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) project after staff said the items are necessary to complete construction and fall within the revised budget.
Public Works staff told the council that a number of issues were discovered after construction began and required change orders; some smaller items have been performed already, while larger items remain pending council approval. "There've been 12 of them at this point. They are within budget," the Public Works representative said.
Several councilmembers pressed staff for detail. One member asked whether plan checking and a full job walk occurred before bidding, and questioned why high‑cost items (cited in the meeting as window work and a $164,000 scope change) appeared as change orders rather than being included in the original bid. The project manager responded that the architect received minimal initial direction, that a fuller plan check had not been completed before work began, and that some design elements — such as structural calculations and window specifications — were addressed after construction started.
"A lot of this could have been avoided earlier when we first started designing this project for sure," the Public Works presenter said, acknowledging the council's concerns. Staff added that some change orders represent work already performed while larger, high‑cost items are awaiting execution pending council approval.
After additional questions and a motion to approve, the council voted in favor of executing the change orders. The roll call recorded Councilmember Karina Macias, Vice Mayor Jonathan Sanabrio and Mayor Eduardo "Eddie" Martinez voting yes.
What it means: Staff said the change orders are required to finish the EOC and are covered by the project's budget as previously amended. Council members requested improved pre‑construction review processes and more transparency about the origin of large change orders.
Next steps: Staff will execute the approved change orders and provide the council with updates; councilmembers requested a clearer accounting of which change orders had already been performed and which remain to be executed.
Sources: City presentation and council discussion. Quotes and procedural outcomes are from the public meeting record.
