SIX BUILDINGS AFFECTED NORTH OF HWY. 92
There has been another delay in a project designed to improve water quality for several commercial customers in Platte City.
Six commercial buildings and several businesses have suffered with extremely discolored water roughly the past two years. The affected area is on the north side of Hwy. 92 east of Fourth Street.
Reason for the water quality issues is an existing water main segment served with a six inch cast iron line that “has reached the end of its service life,” city officials have said previously in public documents.
City officials have said the water is safe to consume while admitting the discolored water is very unappealing to the eye. Affected businesses include a dental office, a hair salon, the Platte County Farm Bureau and several more.
Work that attempts to solve the problem has been on the city’s radar for quite some time but has never come to fruition. 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 very short time.
Construction on a project that city officials say should solve the problem was scheduled to begin in mid-September, according to an early September report from the city’s public works director. It had been previously estimated to begin in mid-summer.
At a meeting in April, the board of aldermen gave approval to spending $101,793 to replace 900 feet of water main along the north side of Hwy. 92 east of Fourth Street, across from the ball fields.
Recently it was discovered the city had significantly underestimated the amount of asphalt that would be needed in the removal and repair process. So the contractor let the city know it would not hold to the $101,793 price due to the city’s error.
“If we were to remove and replace the existing asphalt, there is roughly 145 sq. yds of material to be removed and replaced. At $195 per sq. yd. to remove and $195 to replace, this would be a total of $56,550, which will increase the project total to $158,343,” Tunks Construction told the city in an updated proposal.
The city’s original bid documents mistakenly called for the removal and replacement of only 20 sq. yards of asphalt, about seven times less than the actual total needed.
An option of boring will save on that projected cost, according to the contractor.
“If we go with a boring option, we can reduce the total cost to roughly $138,693, saving the city almost $20,000,” Tunks wrote.
Boring is a trenchless method for installing pipes.
Boring underneath the asphalt instead of tearing it out and then replacing it will be a cheaper option and will also be less of an inconvenience to business owners.
“There will be no disturbance on entry ways to all the businesses along (Hwy. 92), which will make all business owners much happier if we do not need to tear out their entry,” Tunks Construction wrote to the city.
So the anticipated cost of the project has gone from $101,793 to $138,693.
The board of aldermen was expected to officially approve the updated cost at a meeting held after this edition of The Landmark had gone to press on Tuesday.
The updated cost is still substantially lower than the only other bid that was received for the project, city officials emphasized.
Asked if the latest delay has presented a risk of pushing the project into next year, Bryan Richison, city administrator, indicated the contractor seems ready to roll.
“My understanding is that the contractor is ready to go as soon as the board approves the proposal,” Richison told The Landmark on Monday. “So I believe it will be done before the end of the year.”
