Brandon Twp – While the roof was going up on Fire Station 3 last week, contractors ran amuck in the driveway.
‘This report has nothing in it that’s good news,? said Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur as he asked the board for approval of an additional $50,000 to reinforce the driveway and parking lot.? We do have a problem at Station 3.?
McArthur told the board that when the contractors began digging the driveway they found layers of silt that would have to be reinforced.
During pre-construction, dirt test boring was done by the contractor and it did indicate there was silt there, but the contractor did not indicate the possibility of having to restructure the drive and didn’t include it in the bid, according to McArthur.
To correct the problem, the engineers recommended digging beyond the muck to stable soil. There was no guarantee how far they would have to dig.
‘The estimated cost of the additional work is $24,000 but I am concerned that will triple depending on how far they have to go,? said McArthur.
The second option, recommended by the project architect is to dig down to the silt, remove the muck, then lay a layer of geofiber and layer the bed with broken concrete before constructing the drive.
McArthur said according to the architect, the process would cost twice the amount of the first option, but is confident the process will withstand the weight of the fire trucks.
‘The architect says he has seen this done successfully many times,? McArthur told the board.
‘Believe me I’ve made more enemies than friends trying to figure out getting a driveway that will last 20 years.?
McArthur explained that the additional $50,000 would be taken from a $200,000 construction fund excess, gained when the contractor bid under the budgeted amount.
As the station was bid lower than the budgeted amount, coming in at $1.3 million, McArthur says there are funds left over in the construction budget to cover the cost for the driveway and parking lot reinforcement.
‘This wasn’t a total shock and we have $200,000 left that we budgeted,? he said.
Aside from the additional estimated $40,000 for the reinforcement, the Chief says most of the construction is paid for with the exception of a few small items, which he say is minimal.
While the project is staying on schedule the contractor did ask for an additional two week allowance to reinforce the drive.
The board approved the additional funding to be taken from the construction budget.