Council approves $106,699.73 pay application for Phase 1 well buildings, advances Phase 2 work

City Council on Feb. 17 approved multiple steps to advance Boulder’s multi-phase water-system upgrades, including a $106,699.73 payment for Phase 1 well-building work and preliminary payments and a change order for Phase 2.

City Engineer Elly Goebel told the council Pay Application #9 covered progress on the well buildings. Dawson moved to approve the pay application in the amount of $106,699.73; Taylor seconded the motion, which carried with three aye votes. Goebel said the contractor was struggling to meet requirements and that she would provide a status update the following day.

Council also approved Pay Application #1 for Phase 2 preparatory work from Bullock Contracting for $57,737.10. Goebel said Bullock Contracting received notice to proceed Feb. 6 but had difficulty securing a qualified electrical subcontractor after their original plan fell through; Councilmember Patricia Lewis asked whether Boulder Electric’s Eric Enquist could be considered, and the Council agreed to check availability though the mayor expressed uncertainty about the contractor’s scope.

Because the Council declined improvements to a small water tank, Morrison-Maierle recommended adding transmission-line construction and an extra 45 days of work to the existing contractor’s portion of Phase 2; Change Order #1 adopting those additions was approved on a Dawson motion and Taylor second, carried with three aye votes. The Council also authorized Morrison-Maierle, Inc. to advertise bids for Schedule B (Well 5), described as the final step in Phase 1.

The approvals move the projects forward while flagging two implementation risks: contractor performance on Phase 1 and locating qualified subcontractors for Phase 2 electrical work. Goebel and Administrator Brian Bullock will continue to monitor contractor performance and report back to the Council.