Council approves $148,981.74 change order for Cavor Avenue after crews find unexpected concrete

The Fergus Falls City Council approved change order #1 for the Cavor Avenue reconstruction project after city staff said contractors uncovered far more concrete than had been indicated by initial geotechnical cores.

"Of the 15 cores that we did, we found concrete on two of them. And so, based on those cores ... when we started to tear the street up, we found concrete on the street," said Kyle Meyer, describing field findings that showed nearly four of five blocks were concrete and required demolition rather than milling. He said work to remove and haul the concrete has driven the change-order cost, which he said is within the project's contingency funds.

Meyer told the council the city documented the work with on-site photos and planned to meet with the geotechnical firm Terracon about the discrepancy and potential cost recovery. "We had meetings with Terracon. We had them come out and look at it," he said.

The approved change order also includes removable items affecting downtown businesses: removal of roughly 120 steel bollards embedded in parking lots that the contractor did not include in the bid, and new drain-tile connections so businesses with sump pumps can tie into the storm system rather than pumping to the sanitary system. Meyer said some basements currently have significant water and that the new connections are intended to reduce, though not necessarily eliminate, basement flooding.

Council members asked about disposal and timeline impacts; staff said the additional work would not change the project's completion date. One councilmember asked if the city was documenting the issue for potential legal recourse. "For sure," Meyer said, noting staff had been photographing the removals.

The motion to approve the change order was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.