GORE BAY—Billings council members and township staff voiced frustration to a report to council indicating that the fifth contract change order to the Billings fire hall renovation project will mean an additional cost of $17,708.25 which brings the total cost of the project to over $1.675 million.
“The staff report is great but there have been a number of contract change orders. I’m hoping we are getting close to the end of this,” stated Councillor Dave Hillyard at a meeting last week. “Do you anticipate this project is finally wrapping up?”
“I think we are finally there,” stated Municipal Project Manager (MPM) Todd Gordon. “Don’t think I don’t share the same level of concern and frustration the council has. An ideal project would have no change orders, but this situation has been different from the start (with changes in the project from a renovation to a full rebuild).”
Mayor Bryan Barker provided background on the project (provided by Mr. Gordon) explaining the wastewater treatment system which services the fire hall also services the wastewater flows from 91 Main Street. This was an existing condition, prior to initiation of the fire hall renovation/rebuild project, and this is the condition that 91 Main Street wastewater treatment has been returned to, as the fire hall project has been completed.
However, as the fire hall transitioned from a renovation to a rebuild, many aspects of the project took on additional complexity. This applied to wastewater treatment, including addressing the flow from 91 Main, read Mayor Barker. There was no documentation or reliable information of precisely where the connection from 91 Main Street to the fire hall treatment system ran underground. In any event, the wastewater line from 91 Main Street connected through a holding tank (dating from an earlier iteration of the fire hall treatment system). While excavating to address foundation repairs at the rear of the fire hall, the existing wastewater line was severed. Additionally, the historical, redundant holding tank was eventually backfilled as part of the project.
The topography and limited space at the rear of the fire hall (the west side) resulted in the pumping chamber being damaged during the demolition and foundation repair stages, with some debris entering the chamber. The pumping chamber was salvaged, but the sewage pump itself was replaced.
Ultimately, the wastewater line from 91 Main Street to the treatment system was replaced, fully insulated, provided with a new heat trace from the fire hall electrical system, backfilled and the site graded.
It was further explained, in capital projects, affecting the cost or significant aspects of a project’s scope or timeline are normally addressed through contract change orders (CCCOs) allowing the client to pre-approve the changes that materially alter the contract. However, there are relatively rare occasions where the full extent or the specifics of the additional work required are not known, yet action needs to be taken to address the issue, in some way, in the moment (or in a reasonable time frame) to keep the project moving. This is more likely to occur in a project like the fire hall, where the entire project, including the scope, changed substantially after the project was initiated.
“This is another situation that occurred on this project after it went from being a renovation to a full rebuild,” said Mr. Gordon. “The waste-water situation at 91 Main Street is not conventional, arose, and had to be dealt with. It adds to the cost of the project.”
Councillor Hillyard noted that the change in the project was major, from a renovation to a full rebuild of the fire hall. The fire department is so happy with the new fire hall. You (Mr. Gordon) did a good job of managing the project.”
“I am happy that hopefully we are at the last hurdle, and that everyone seems to be happy with the new fire hall,” said councillor Michael Hunt.
Councillor Jim Cahill said in all projects such as this there is a final general summary that provides the entire cost of the project from the hiring of an engineer to the completion of the project. And it allows council to compare the actual costs to what had been budgeted for originally.
This report will be provided to the council either in December or in January, council was told.
