Committee advances Granite Construction amendment to finish Phase 1 design for Tahoe Cedars; SRF review limits some field work

Julie Ryan asked the committee to recommend board approval of Amendment No.2 to the design‑build agreement with Granite Construction to finish final design for Phase 1 of the Tahoe Cedars water system reconstruction.

"We've completed the 30% design for all phases of the project, and next week, Granite will be delivering the 60% design for just phase 1," Ryan said. She told the committee permitting for Phase 1 is underway and the amendment would allow the design team to continue uninterrupted while staff negotiates construction terms and costs with Granite. The currently authorized not‑to‑exceed amount under the DBA is approximately $6,400,000; Ryan said Amendment No.2 adds $316,596 in additional design scope while reducing field‑investigation scope by the same amount, resulting in no net change to the not‑to‑exceed total.

Ryan also explained that because the project is using a design‑build approach and is seeking SRF loan coverage, the state has constrained ground‑disturbing field investigations (potholing and borings) until environmental clearance is finalized; staff said they received a critical clearance in late December and are awaiting final internal review. Staff and committee discussed likely construction timing—staff expects work to start in June or July—and noted the project will install about three miles of mainline this summer as part of roughly 15 miles planned overall.