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Board questions $22,700 extra‑work bill for Haines Road culvert; contractor will resubmit breakdown
Summary
SCI Excavating presented a $22,700 extra‑work bill after hitting ledge during the Haines Road box culvert installation. Board members expressed surprise at the cost, asked for a detailed hourly and machine breakdown, and declined to approve the charge pending a revised invoice to be considered at a special meeting next Monday.
Contractor Pete Schibelehut of SCI Excavating told the Deerfield Board of Selectmen the Haines Road box culvert installation encountered unexpected ledge, resulting in additional dewatering and reconstruction work. Schibelehut said he submitted an extra‑work bill that included a subcontractor charge of $3,500 for ledge removal, equipment days priced per machine, labor for up to seven crew members, dewatering and a rebuilt cofferdam. “So when I was there on Range Road, I didn't bill a full day,” Schibelehut said, arguing the charges reflect onsite realities.
Board members said they were taken aback by the $22,700 overage for two days of extra work and asked for more detail such as hours on site, how many operators versus laborers, and machine‑day rates. One member described a "sticker shock" reaction and said the invoice lacked sufficient line‑item detail. Schibelehut said he would remove some line items and resubmit — noting he had already proposed reductions of roughly $3,100 — and offered to provide a per‑machine and per‑person breakdown.
The board did not approve the extra‑work amount as presented and directed the contractor to resubmit a revised invoice with more detail; members agreed to take up the item again at a special meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Staff also noted the project retains a $5,000 contract balance that would reduce the outstanding amount if appropriate.
