Council OKs $600K library contract change order
Staff cites PG&E wire conflict, explains project is still under budget
CAPITOLA >> The Capitola City Council on Thursday night heard a report on and approved the contract change order for the city’s Branch Library Project in the amount of $582,402.
Despite additional funding keeping the project under budget, this was still one of the more painful change orders Public Works Director Steve Jesberg has had to write, he admitted to the council. The last change order the council heard and accepted — the project’s 11th — was a much smaller amount at $22,367 for “extra, unanticipated work” unrelated to this order, Jesberg said.
Staff said in its report that the contractor, Otto Construction, was due compensation because of delays caused by city-supplied documents and plans drawn up by Noll & Tam architects. The city’s architects sited the building too close to the wires because of paperwork provided by the city. As a result, the conflict with PG&E lines pushed the finish date from May 16, 2020 to March 30.
“(The) change order has been anticipated, but staff was unable to calculate the final impacts of the wire conflict until PG&E had completed their work to relocate the wires,” Jesberg said in his prepared report. “This work was completed in late October 2020.”
Jesberg said during the meeting that his project manager, in coordination with Otto Construction, is hoping for substantial completion of the project. The exterior of the building is 95% complete. The next installations include book stacks, some carpeting, signage and landscaping.
Jesberg’s latter thought is consistent with a report provided to the Santa Cruz County Library Advisory Commission on Monday. In the February Library Director Report, it was noted that the Capitola Branch Library was on track for a June 5 opening.
“Interior finishes are being completed. Furniture is arriving,” the director wrote. “The library is expected to have occupancy in April.”
The amendment to the project budget does not bring it over the original amount of $15.2 million. In fact, including the contract change order, the total approved project cost is $14,964,167, Jesberg wrote.
The public works director forecasted the change orders in a January interview with the Sentinel. But by reducing the scope of the work and accepting unanticipated costs — such as the wire conflict — as the project continued, the price of contracting was up but the total project cost was down.
With the current budget, the project has a remaining balance of nearly $840,000, Jesberg calculated. But additional change orders, such as the one that will extend the contract date to March 30, are anticipated to come back to the council. That one will cost the city approximately $325,000.