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By Carey King
and Lynn Hotaling
Sylva officials Aug. 15 approved an additional $55,000 for the
ongoing Moody Bottom sewer project.
The vote was 4-1, with town board member Maurice Moody casting
the "no" vote.
Project engineers Cavanaugh & Associates requested approval
for a change order after poor soil quality on Allens Branch forced
the contractor to haul in backfill.
Cavanaugh's Larry Barthelemy said his company found "blue
clay" and large rocks all the way up Allens Branch. Clay
is not suitable for backfill, and N.C. Department of Transportation
specifications prevent replacing rocks larger than 4 inches in
the ditch, Barthelemy said.
"Water will wash soil from between the rocks," he said.
"At one point, the dirt was so bad and wet that the whole
road almost gave way."
The original contract was based on backfilling the trench with
the excavated soil; instead, contractors had to haul off the rocky
soil and bring in stone backfill, Barthelemy said.
Cost of hauling away the original soil, plus bringing in and compacting
the new backfill, was $30 per ton or $300 per load, Barthelemy
said in response to a question from Moody.
Progress also slowed when the contractor discovered a Tuckaseigee
Water and Sewer line on the left side of the road after being
told the line was on the right, forcing them to shift work to
the opposite side of the road, Barthelemy said.
Moody said he had no problem with the quality of the work completed
but thought board members needed an itemized list of costs.
Moody also suggested board members postpone a decision on the
additional funds until their September meeting, since the project
completion date has been extended until Sept. 1.
Waiting would not be a problem, Barthelemy said, but he preferred
approval beforehand.
"We're going to pay for it anyway," said board member
Audrey Tritt, who seconded Eldridge Painter's motion to approve
the change order.
Board members tabled the engineering firm's request for a $5,000
increase in administrative engineering fees.
Delays extending the project beyond its estimated length of three
to four months resulted in additional supervision costs, Barthelemy
said.
The contract estimated administrative costs at $20,000, not to
exceed $28,000. Cavanaugh & Associates has requested an additional
$5,000, bringing the total cost for construction oversight to
$33,000.
"I don't think we should increase administrative costs,"
Moody said.\Moody's motion to deny the request failed for lack
of a second.
Since Cavanaugh personnel did not do field work during rain delays,
there is no justification for paying them additional money to
supervise the project, Moody said.
Cavanaugh's Jason Robinson requested both change orders during
the board's Aug. 7 session, but town board members postponed a
decision until Aug. 15.
Sylva board members voted last fall to extend sewer access to
the Moody Bottom area, which includes Allen Branch, Mitchell Road
and Mills Branch. At that time, Barthelemy estimated the cost
at some $534,000.
The project scope was extended May 1 to include a section of Scotts
Creek Road after failing septic systems were identified in that
area as well. Cavanaugh Associates estimated the cost of the Scotts
Creek Road extension at about $85,000.
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