Bardstown council OKs sewer projects change orders after closer examination

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Jessica Filiatreau, city civil engineer, answers questions about change orders requested on two city sewer system projects. Click to enlarge.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 1:30 p.m. — The Bardstown City Council approved two change orders at Tuesday night’s meeting, but not without a close examination of why the changes were necessary.

GARDEN PARK MANHOLE REHAB. In an effort to reduce the amount of storm water running into the city’s sewer system, the public works department is overseeing an ongoing project that includes rehabilitation of a number of manholes. Currently work is under way in the Garden Park area, which includes neighborhoods in the Demaree Drive and east to the housing development behind the Nelson County Justice Center.

Some of the manholes are leaking significant amounts of storm water, and this water winds up being treated as sewage. Treating this extra water drives up the cost of the operating the sewage treatment plant. In the ongoing effort to reduce infiltration, Jessica Filiatreau, the city’s civil engineer, told the council of the discovery of addition problems.

The rock and dirt beneath the concrete at the bottom of some manholes has been washed away, she explained. Two of three manholes being rehabbed on Monday and three of the four examined Tuesday had the same problem, she told the council. It was a problem that had not been anticipated.

“We have to make a decision if we want to spend the money to fix them now, or patch them up the best we can and look at doing something else down the road,” she said.

The extra expenses for repair of the manholes won’t blow the budget due to unanticipated savings on projects earlier in the fiscal year. She estimated up to half of the manholes in the area need repair.

Councilman Francis Lydian looks over a document during Tuesday's meeting of the Bardstown City Council. Click to enlarge.

Councilman Bobby Simpson said the repairs should be done correctly while the manhole repairs are being done. If the problems aren’t repaired it could lead to more unwanted water entering the sewer system. “Then we’ll be back where we started,” he said.

The council unanimously approved the change order.

BLOOMFIELD ROAD/POTTERSHOP SEWER MAIN. An engineering firm’s oversight was responsible for the second change order the council examined Tuesday night.

During the construction of the recently completed Bloomfield Road/Pottershop Road sewer main project, contractors bored underground holes under streets and driveways rather than dig across them. Boring under them created fewer disruptions for the businesses and residents who live in the areas where the pipe was laid, Filiatreau told the council.

The number of driveways that required boring was greater than shown in the bid specifications, which was due to a discrepancy between the bid tab and the actual plans. In response to councilman Fred Hagan’s question about how the error happened, Filiatreau explained the engineering firm — HDR Quest Engineers — failed to translate correctly the number of driveways from the plans to the bid tab. As a result, the linear footage that was bored was more than double what was anticipated — 726 feet versus 320 feet.

Councilman Tommy Reed listens during the discussion of change orders for two city sewer projects. Click to enlarge.mously approved second reading on the ordinances. Click to enlarge.

Councilman Simpson asked Filiatreau if the engineering firm should be responsible for paying for the error.

“In their defense, we changed the route several times,” she said. The change order of $36,000 included additional materials the job required, as well as credits for materials that were not needed.

The change order also requested 100 additional days to finish the project because sodding and seeding could not be done in the winter. The extra time will not involve create additional expenses for the project, Filiatreau said. The extra time will move the completion deadline from February to June 1.

Hamilton noted that the boring process was less disruptive to residents and businesses and that there had been no complaints. “Considering the complexity of this project, this job went very smoothly.” Filiatreau said.

The council voted 5-1 to approve the change order, with councilman Bobby Simpson voting “no.”

Councilmen Francis Lydian, Fred Hagan and Joe Buckman look over a landscape plan for a mini-warehouse storage business that will be built on Cathedral Manor south of the former Southern States location.

WAREHOUSE PLAN GETS COUNCIL SCRUTINY. A recommendation from the Design Review Board for a storage mini-warehouse planned for Cathedral Manor near the former Southern States location led the council into a discussion of improving and enhancing the appearance of Bardstown’s major gateways.

Councilman Joe Buckman said he was concerned about the appearance of the city’s main gateways, and specifically he voiced concern about the landscaping plan for the mini-warehouse property. The DRB’s recommendation refers to a landscape plan that the council did not receive and could not review, he said.

“By nature, they’re not very attractive,” Buckman said of the mini-warehouse-type buildings. “I think we need to pay special attention to the landscaping to be sure it complies with our ordinances.”

The city can put additional restrictions on the property in regard to landscaping, Larry Green, assistant city administrator told the council. Buckman said the landscaping will make the property more attractive, which is good for both the city and the property owner.

After additional discussion and the a review of the landscape plan provided by the property owner, no additional landscaping was required by the council, which voted unanimously to approve the DRB’s recommendation.

In other business, the council also:

– Approved second reading of a zoning change from R1B to R1C requested by Joe and Julia Osborne;

– Approved second and final reading of an ordinance that makes major revisions to Chapter 130 of the city’s code of ordinances. The changes include revisions to the city’s gun control statutes to bring them in compliance with established state law; and

– Approved five recommendations from the Historic Review Board.

The council will conduct a working session at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2012, in the council chambers in the City Hall Annex building on Xavier Drive.

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