Caledonia council approves $193,585 engineering amendment as delayed wastewater plant nears startup

The Caledonia City Council on April 14 unanimously approved a $193,585 engineering contract amendment tied to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which city and consultant staff said is expected to come online in May after lengthy delays.

Donohue & Associates engineer Eric Lynne told the council the plant "is expected to come online in May" but that substantial inspection and monitoring work remains. Lynne and staff said the overall project is nearly two years past its original completion date.

City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson recommended the amendment, saying the additional engineering costs were not caused by the city and that staff would attempt to recover the expense from the contractor. Member Amanda Ninneman moved approval; Member David Fitzpatrick seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The amendment supplements earlier engineering work and covers additional inspection and monitoring tied to the delayed schedule. The council also approved Pay Application 335, a separate consent-agenda item covering $10,890 for work performed on the wastewater treatment plant.

No timeline for contractor cost-recovery was specified at the meeting. Council members did not vote on a schedule change; they recorded the consultant’s projection that startup would occur in May and approved the engineering amendment to support remaining pre-startup activities.

The council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for April 28, where staff may report further on project progress and any recovery efforts.