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WARREN -- The Trumbull County Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve adding $1.2 million to the $30.91 million Meadowbrook Sanitary Sewer Projects currently being done due to the ground in the area where the new lines in Warren Township are located have been unexpectedly collapsing.
The funds are being requested to pay for 22,164 cubic yards of limestone sand trench backfill at $62 per cubic yard.
So far, the total project spending has been just over $27 million.
"We have enough money to cover it," Sanitary Engineer Gary Newbrough said.
Approximately $600,000 worth of the limestone sand trench backfill has been purchased and used to stop further deterioration of the road.
Newbrough requested the commissioners to approve an additional $600,000 to have available if the road area continues to collapse as they continue placing the sanitary lines.
Commissioner Tony Bernard voted against approving the additional funds stating someone should have sought a change order to purchase and place the additional material before the work was done, not afterward.
Bernard noted when Woodford Excavating LLC of Leavittsburg, which is doing the excavating, identified the problem and told the sanitation engineer's office. It was at that time that Newbrough's office should have informed the commissioners.
Newbrough, during Tuesday's commissioners' workshop, noted that work on the Meadowbrook line began nearly a year ago.
"The original plan was that we were going to take the majority of the soil that we excavated [to place the sewer line in] and put it back into the trench," Newbrough said. "What we found was that the material was unsuitable to put back into the trench."
Newbrough then gave the contractors the authority to place limestone back into the trench.
"We were under a time crunch because the EPA had to be able to get to our treatment plant," he said.
They so far have used about 12,000 cubic yards of limestone sand trench backfill.
Commissioner Rick Hernandez agreed with Bernard that the commissioners should not be seeing a $1.2 million change order for a project in which half of the money already has been spent on materials. He noted the commissioners should have been informed of the potential cost overruns much earlier in the process.
"This is a big amount," Hernandez said. "We're still under budget. That is what I like."
Newbrough noted that he had spoken to each of the commissioners individually on at least two occasions about the possibility of needing additional money for this project. Newbrough suggested he told them that a change order would come and it would be, at least, $1 million.
Bernard did not recall those conversations. Hernandez suggested the commissioners have numerous conversations with department heads.
Bernard questioned how much work was done without the commissioners approval?
"That's the problem," Bernard said. "The work has already been performed."
Hernandez suggested the commissioners consider approving $600,000 to pay for the backfill that already has been done and then approve funds for additional material as it is needed in the future.
Commissioner Denny Malloy suggested that could become problematic because that would force the contractors to come back to the county for approval of a change over each time they need to purchase material to continue the project.
"I'm not happy about the estimate being off so much," Malloy said. "We could have done a better job at that. But as long as we stay within the budget of what was allocated for this project then I'm okay with allocating to what was allocated."
Bernard maintained that allowing a change order after the work has been done set a bad precedent that he does not want to do.
"Change orders are supposed to be approved before they happen," Bernard said. "That's all I'm saying. We were not notified."