DIFFERENT CONTRACTOR SUMMONED TO FINISH THE JOB
Another hiccup.
A project designed to improve water quality for multiple commercial customers in Platte City has hit yet another snag.
Six buildings and several businesses along a section of Hwy. 92 have suffered with nasty looking discolored water the past couple of years. The affected area is on the north side of Hwy. 92 east of Fourth Street, across the highway from the ballfields at Harrel Ferrel Park.
City officials believe the reason for the water quality issues is an existing water main segment that is served by a six inch cast iron line that ‘has reached the end of its service life.”
City officials have said the water is safe to consume while admitting the discolored water is very unappealing to the eye. In lieu of a permanent fix, city workers have been flushing the line weekly to try to keep the water as clear as possible, though customers say the flushing only helps for a short amount of time.
Affected businesses include a dental office, a hair salon, the Platte County Farm Bureau and others.
Work designed to fix the problem had finally begun in the past month or so, after being approved by the board of aldermen back in April.
It had been initially indicated work would begin in mid-summer, then the timetable was moved to mid-September, then to early November.
The contractor, Tunks Construction, ran into problems shortly after beginning the job. And now the city and Tunks have mutually agreed it was best for the city “to go our separate ways,” Bryan Richison, city administrator, told The Landmark last week after the newspaper inquired about the reason for the latest delay.
“The first issue that arose was a sewer pipe. Tunks dug to uncover it to make sure they knew where it was before starting boring. They told us that when they uncovered it they saw that the pipe was leaking. We are skeptical of that explanation and think that they hit and broke the sewer pipe in the process of digging to find it,” Richison told the newspaper.
Regardless, the sewer pipe was repaired and work continued.
“The next issue was the scope of work. After the project was underway there was a discussion about existing valves and it became clear that Tunks thought they were going to connect the new water line on each end to two existing valves. Those valves are four inches and the new line is six inches, so the valves have to be replaced also,” Richison explained.
“This is in the scope of work, but it seems like Tunks did not fully read it or fully understand it. There were concerns about whether or not Tunks could complete the work, especially for the price they bid. At this point both parties mutually agreed it was best for us to go our separate ways,” the city administrator added.
When the city had solicited bids on the project, Tunks Construction and Decker Construction were the only two bidders. Tunks bid $101,793 and Decker’s bid was for $233,625. The board of aldermen awarded the bid to Tunks.
The bid specifications called for the removal and replacement of 20 square yards of asphalt, which was incorrect. That mistake was on the city. The correct amount is roughly 145 square yards. The error by the city caused another delay.
At the city’s request, Tunks submitted an updated proposal with the correct amount of asphalt for removal as well as an option to bore the new waterline instead. The updated costs moved to $138,693 for boring.
Boring is a trenchless method for installing pipes.
Tunks began work on the project and installed roughly 415 feet of six inch pipe, the city says. Concerns arose while this work was being performed, eventually the city and Tunks agreed it would be best if a new contractor was brought in.
The city’s public works director then solicited a new proposal from Decker Construction to finish the project.
City documents indicate the city will pay Tunks $47,450 for the work it has already performed. The quote from Decker Construction to finish the project is $164,535, which brings the total project cost to $211,985.
The $211,985 is $21,640 less than Decker’s original bid of $233,625, city officials point out.
The board of aldermen at a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16 approved the agreement with Decker.
It was not immediately clear when Decker will be on site to complete the project.
