By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW — A change order from R. Yoder Construction Inc. on the Center Lake Recreational Trail project will reduce the overall cost of the total contract by $103,417 to $876,835.
The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the change order Friday on a recommendation by City Engineer Aaron Ott.
Ott explained, “These are some items that had come up over the course of the project that we collectively let them gather to bring them up together in one change order rather than several change orders.”
The majority of the money being credited to the city is for the Crosswise benches that were in the bid. “Those were an excessive item, we felt, and we were able to get benches for a much better price than the $113,610 bid for 14 benches,” Ott said.
Board member George Clemens asked what kind of benches were those.
“They were special. They were made overseas. We wanted to match the Buffalo Plaza project, and so there must have been a change in the bench manufacturer or something from when that project was done to this one, so we were unaware and when we specified the specific item, it had a little price shock on it,” Ott said.
The change order also includes two additions. One is a custom bench to be used as a pump enclosure at an increase of $3,810 and the other is for additional concrete removal and replacement of a pavilion patio for an increase of $6,789.
Ott said all the changes were negotiated with the contractor.
The Sasso family donated $1 million toward the Center Lake Recreational Trail project.
In another matter, one bid was received and opened Friday for Warsaw’s recycling services at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
The proposal from Borden, the city’s current recycling provider, was a five-year contract with an increase in the price each year. Mayor Joe Thallemer read the prices, which are $3.93 per household per month for year one (2024); $4.06, year two; $4.21, year three; $4.35, year four; and $4.50, year five.
This year’s rate is $3.85 per household per month, according to Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon.
Borden offered an alternate bid for a seven-year contract but Thallemer didn’t go through those numbers.
After Dillon and Ott reviewed the bid during the meeting, Dillon made a recommendation to go ahead and award the recycling five-year contract to Borden. Ott concurred.
While the board approved awarding the contract to Borden, the actual contract will be approved at a future board meeting.
