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Council approves $148,981 change order after crews find concrete under Cavor Avenue
Summary
City staff said geotechnical cores missed hard concrete under four of five Cavor Avenue blocks; council approved a $148,981.74 change order to demolish and haul concrete, remove bollards, and add storm-sump connections for affected businesses, with staff documenting the work and exploring cost recovery.
The Fergus Falls City Council approved a $148,981.74 change order for the Cavor Avenue (PI5966) reconstruction after crews discovered extensive concrete beneath the street that was not indicated by the geotechnical cores.
Kyle Meyer told the council the city had performed 15 cores during design that showed concrete on only two locations, but during construction four of the five blocks proved to be solid, hard concrete. "Of the 15 cores that we did, we found concrete on two of them... As we started to tear the street up, we found concrete on the street. Of the five blocks out there, there's one block that is not concrete, four that are," Meyer said. He said the concrete is hard, not powdery, and requires demolition and hauling rather than milling, increasing cost and changing the work method.
Meyer said the extra cost is covered by contingency funds and that staff documented the removal with on-site photos and inspections; he also said the city will work with the geotechnical firm (Terracon) and legal staff to explore cost recovery. "We had meetings with Terracon... we think that we're getting some bad information from the geotechnical firm," he said.
Additional items in the approved change order include removing approximately 120 steel bollards in parking lots that would interfere with milling/overlay plans and installing drain-tile connections so business sump pumps can discharge into a new storm drain instead of the sanitary system. Meyer said the sump-pump connections should reduce volumes being pumped into the sanitary system and help some basement water issues, though he cautioned that the drainage work may not fully eliminate flooding and that deeper solutions would require a separate, larger project.
A councilor asked whether removal of the concrete would delay the contract completion; staff said it would not change the project's completion date and that the work fits within the contract timeframe. The council approved the change order by voice vote; staff will continue documenting the removal and seek options for reimbursement from the geotechnical contractor.
