Finance committee asks council to approve large change orders for Grama Road turn‑lane project

The finance committee on Feb. 10 reviewed two change orders to the Barbicus Construction Co. Inc. contract for the Grama Road turn‑lane project adjacent to Green Elementary School and said it will seek council approval because the cumulative change exceeds the council’s 10% threshold.

Finance Committee Chair Mister Humphrey said the change orders require council approval when they exceed 10 percent of an awarded contract. Mr. Pickett, who explained the contractor’s invoice, told the committee the first change order was a small reconciliation of final quantities for $5,851.93 and did not require council approval, while a second, larger change order — $52,594.17 — resulted from sanitary‑manhole adjustments and use of low‑strength mortar to protect shallow storm sewer pipe.

“Because of the height increase we had to pull the top cone off and dig down deeper and replace the riser section,” Mr. Pickett said, describing why the work exceeded the original scope.

Committee members flagged an apparent arithmetic discrepancy between the original bid price and the totals presented for approval. Chair Humphrey pressed staff to explain why the difference between the original and final contract figures appeared larger than the increase that staff asked to be approved. Mr. Pickett and Chair Humphrey explained the city had encumbered a 10% contingency on the original award that was already included in the contract, which reduces the new amount that must be approved at this meeting.

No final council vote on the change orders was recorded at the committee meeting; the resolution (2026‑R01) was presented as a second reading and will be read and voted on at the full council meeting.

The committee did not change project scope during the meeting; staff said the additional work stemmed from construction conditions and county requirements rather than a change in the city's design intent.