Commission approves Atlas scope agreement for Riverside bridge replacement amid conflicting verbal amount

Saint Clair County commissioners on Sept. 8 approved a scope agreement with Atlas Technical Consultants for engineering services on the Riverside bridge replacement project.

Clay Phillips, the county engineer, presented the agreement and said the staff recommendation was for an amount of $258,030. "Consider a scope agreement with Atlas Technical Consultants for the engineering services for the Riverside Bridal replacement project in the amount of $258,030," Phillips said when introducing the item. The board moved, seconded and approved the motion by voice vote.

During the approval exchange the chair repeated the approval and, reading back an amount, said, "The approval is for the project in the amount of $2.58... $208,030," creating an inconsistency between the staff-recommended figure and the chair's verbal amount. The commission approved the motion as presented at the meeting; staff and the county attorney were directed to review contract paperwork and reconcile the correct contract amount before execution.

The agreement is intended to allow Atlas to provide engineering design and related services for the Riverside project; commissioners did not alter the scope at the meeting. Clay Phillips noted the county will work with city staff on project details as the contract moves toward execution.

Next steps: county staff will finalize the contract language and the county attorney will review the agreement and clear any billing or scope questions before the county signs the contract.