City finds ways to save on construction costs
Jun. 6—The new City Hall building is being discussed Tuesday evening, with a budget amendment with Christensen Building Group for $17,076.129. This is the third amendment to the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the project.
The project is part of the 2016 voter approved bonds, with City Hall and the Service Center being the final of three bonds. The new building is an estimated 39,790 square feet facility. According to the agenda packet, the agreement of this contract is for the total final GMP, which City Engineer Kathlie Jeng-Bulloch reports is guaranteed by the Christensen Building Group.
"Upon completion of the plans and final pricing from the contractor, the cost of the project exceeded the construction budget and staff worked with the architect and contractor to identify items through a value engineering process," Jeng-Bulloch reported. "Cost savings were achieved chiefly through changing materials on finishes through the project, using alternative lighting and plumbing fixtures, and eliminating some of the elements that were chiefly decorative."
The remaining total available budget for this project is the same as the budget amendment Tuesday night, including all contingencies.
In other business, several budget amendments are on the agenda for approval, including a donation to the City by the Huntsville Youth Football League (HYFL) for the purchase and installation of a new scoreboard at the field used by HYFL. It is anticipated to be installed by the end of July 2023.
Another budget amendment anticipated to be approved is for the McGary Creek Lift Station expansion project, budgeted for $3,584,485. Bids received were for $4,863,600, with staff recommending $100,000.
To meet the new cost estimate, staff is recommending using funds from various funds for Waste Water projects for $934,693, $200,116 of Unallocated Budget from the Water Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) — leaving the fund at $0, and $243,506 from the Water R&R CIP.
The adopted budget for the rehabilitation of the #2 Ground Storage tank was $375,000 and estimated that 10 roof beams would need to be repaired. During the rehabilitation, crews discovered that all 68 beams in the tank were severely corroded and needed replacement. The tank floor of the underground storage also needed repairs. The new cost of repairs increased $86,402, which will now be taken from the automated meters program CIP leaving that at $0. Additional budget to cover the $486,750 will come from Future Appropriations in the Utility Fund.
On a positive note, the City is being reimbursed by TxDOT for changes in design and requirements for water and wastewater lines utility relocates for the Interstate 45 projects.
This report doesn't represent the entire agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday, June 6, at the Huntsville Public Library, 1219 13th Street. The library will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday to accommodate the City Council meeting. For more information on the agenda, log on to huntsvilletx.gov.
