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Millsboro council approves two change orders on force‑main project after questions about added pipe and costs
Summary
After extended questioning about unanticipated utilities and road widening, council approved two contractor change orders — for additional casing pipe and deeper shoring — on the force‑main/beneficial reuse project and discussed contingency funds and USDA funding oversight.
The Millsboro Town Council voted July 6 to approve two change orders for the town's force‑main and beneficial reuse project after staff and KCI engineers described additional pipe and deeper shoring discovered during construction.
KCI representatives explained PCO 1 covers roughly 140 additional linear feet of 24‑inch casing plate to accommodate widened road crossings and newly installed utilities; Aaron with KCI said multiple road crossings and two pipes per crossing drove the length increase. KCI described PCO 3 as additional excavation and shoring where an existing stormwater pipe was four feet lower than the plan showed, producing extra work and cost at a single location.
Council members pressed for an explanation of why utilities were not identified in the bid documents and for an estimate on further change orders. One council member said, "I think we need to take a really hard look at the engineering firms and the contractors" after citing previous budget overruns and expressing concern about the town's exposure to repeated changes. Staff said contingencies for the USDA‑funded project were "just under $3,000,000," and that contract contingencies are held within combined project funding.
After questioning, a motion to approve both change orders passed by voice vote. Council also discussed monitoring future test fits at other crossings to limit surprises.
Council asked staff to provide a more explicit breakdown of contingency amounts and to report back if further PCOs are anticipated.
