Completion of Jackson water-main work may be delayed nearly a month

Jackson's water bond project has encountered delays and may surpass the original projected completion date by nearly a month, according to city engineer Erica Bogenpohl.

The project's contractor, Robertson Inc. Bridge and Grading Division of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, has encountered delays outside the scope of its original bid, operating at an efficiency at about 60 percent of expectations.

Jim McCleish, vice president of Horner & Shifrin Engineering of St. Louis, spoke to the board of aldermen Monday about the delays and to request additional funds.

Horner & Shifrin was the consulting engineer on the project, providing the original survey and assessment of what work needed to be done and how to accomplish it.

"What we have with this company is a good product in the ground," McCleish said.

Horner & Shifrin estimated amounts for construction phase services.

"The original amount estimated for engineering (design, construction administration, and inspection) on this project was $187,100. A little over $100,000 of that was for design," Bogenpohl said.

The original $187,100 has been exhausted, and Horner & Shifrin requested additional fees of $141,300 for continued administrative and inspection costs.

"That request has dropped to approximately $110,000 due to a discount offered by the three engineering companies and by city staff picking up some of the inspection services," Bogenpohl said.

Even with the added expense, Bogenpohl said, the total cost does not approach the next-lowest bidder's original estimate of $500,000, Bogenpohl said.

"We did not feel it was fiscally responsible to turn down the low bidder," she said.

Jackson engineering firms Strickland Engineering and Koehler Engineering each added a crew, Bogenpohl said. Each crew needs an inspector on site provided by the city, which will help offset some of the additional expense, Bogenpohl said.

"Each of the firms involved in this process, Koehler, Strickland and Horner & Shifrin, have agreed to a reduced rate of services for this phase because of economies of scale concerning this project as well," she said.

Substantial completion of the project, which does not include sidewalk repairs or cleanup, should be April 18, Bogenpohl said, with a projected final cleanup date of May 2.

The original substantial completion date was March 16. The city granted a 15-day extension for weather delays that already have been encountered, Bogenpohl said.

Bogenpohl said the project on Main Street is about two-thirds complete.

Other projects around town included in the bond project are substantially complete. Line replacement at sites including Dorothy and Cecile, North and South Russell Street and East and West Park Street, is complete and the roadways are open to traffic, with temporary gravel in place.

The roadway will be completed when the repairs Main Street are complete, Bogenpohl said.

"A few of the references [Robertson provided] did say that while this company does good work overall, they require additional supervision," she said.

Bogenpohl said the contractor was supervised, but the overall efficiency has not met expectations.

"The bid suggested they expected to lay 100 feet of line per day, and their output has been closer to 60," Bogenpohl said.

Robertson added two crews to its sole operating crew in November, and that has sped up the process but has added to the overall cost, leading to the request for additional funds, Bogenpohl said.

Bogenpohl said while the project has seen unexpected turns, in the end, the water system will see substantial improvements.

"We expect full success with this project," she said.

A representative at Robertson said the contact person on the project was not available for comment.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: 400 block of West Main Street, Jackson

Dorothy and Cecile

North and South Russell Street

East and West Park Street

Bast and Adams Streets