Coffey County awards $823,155 bridge contract, approves $29,522 change order after debate over using county crews

Coffey County commissioners voted to award a contract to BNB Company LLC for $823,155 to build county bridge B2, a federally funded off-system bridge project, and approved a related change order of $29,521.90 to finish drainage and ditching work.

The commission approved the bid for project number 16 C-5348-01 on a motion; Road and Bridge Superintendent Ryan Durst told commissioners the construction portion is 100% federally funded and that the county’s exposure would be minimal as long as total project costs stay below a previously established $1.3 million cap. “The cap on that project’s 1.3 million,” Durst said, and added the county’s responsibilities to this point had been roughly $2,000.

The change order — described by the construction manager as including ditching, pipe, concrete, flowable fill and overhead and profit — totaled $29,521.90. Garrett Nordstrom of Governmental Assistance Services and the project design representative said the submitted unit quantities were checked and appeared reasonable. Nordstrom said the change order “has to do with the final agreement… and how we handle the drainage.”

That did not settle questions some commissioners raised about cost and who should perform the work. One commissioner, Mike, urged the board to consider having county crews do the cut and ditching work to save taxpayers money: “I would like to save the taxpayer $30,000 if this is something that was available to do for ourselves,” he said. The county’s road superintendent replied that the department is maintenance-focused and currently lacks the workforce to take on large construction add-ons without falling behind on routine road maintenance and backlog requests.

Commission discussion also touched on whether state permits were in hand and whether subcontractors had been solicited; the county’s consultants confirmed required state approvals were received and that the general contractor submitted the quantities. Jarrett, identified in the meeting as the design professional, said the original design had been judged appropriate but the state disagreed, prompting the additional work reflected in the change order.

The commission approved change order No. 8 and the bid award; meeting minutes record the change order vote as split (recorded 3–1). No further amendments to the contract were made that day. The commission also approved pay application No. 5 for the project, a separate administrative payment of $13,534.11, after staff and the construction manager confirmed quantities and mobilization adjustments.

Next steps and timing: Durst said the bridge contractor has a late start date around late May or early June and hopes to complete work before the following winter, with a likely finish in late October. The board will sign contract paperwork and monitor progress and any further change orders.