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De Soto council approves $6,839 change order and $100,000 contingency increase for City Hall renovation
Summary
The De Soto City Council authorized a $6,839.80 change order to repair plaster and finish issues in City Hall stairwells and approved a $100,000 increase to the project contingency to keep the renovation on schedule, after staff warned hidden conditions could cause repeated small change orders.
The De Soto City Council on Jan. 15 authorized the city administrator to sign change order 66 for $6,839.80 and approved adding $100,000 to the City Hall renovation contingency to cover hidden conditions and preserve the project schedule.
City staff told the council the 108-year-old building has multiple layers of paint and compromised plaster in stairwells; after testing and trial repairs, contractors recommended a plaster skim coat to match historic detailing. A staff presentation said earlier attempts (high-build primers, drywall skim coats) failed to deliver an acceptable historic finish and that interior vapor or weather-resistant barriers are structurally risky for this building type.
"As the memo states, the building is historic and the amount of hidden repair has led to additional work beyond the original scope," staff member (speaker 8) said, explaining the $6,839.80 change order and that the remaining contingency balance was insufficient.
Staff proposed drawing $100,000 from the CIP to raise contingency funds so routine change orders under the city purchasing policy could be approved by the city administrator without delaying work for council votes. Staff said bringing every small change order (many fall under $10,000) back to council would add weeks of delay and potential contractor downtime fees.
Councilmember (speaker 3) moved to authorize the change order and contingency increase. The motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded by council: Lane — No; Sameh — Yes; Bradley — Yes; Patterson — Yes; McMurray — Yes.
City staff said the project remains below the original $5 million budget and that the additional contingency is intended to prevent further schedule slips; phase 2 work on the first floor was scheduled to begin the following Monday with anticipated completion in March or early April.
The council approved the action; staff will continue to return change orders above purchasing thresholds for council approval.
