By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
JASPER, Tenn. – City administrators recently found out that one water project will cost more than they thought while another will cost far less.
At the August meeting of the Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen, officials approved a change order that will cost the town an extra $4,177 for one project, but they also discovered that a project to clean and inspect some sewers was bid at about one-third of the original estimated cost.
Jasper is in the middle of a $100,000 booster pump station project, which includes some waterline relocation along Tennessee Highway 27, officials said. An engineering error concerning the location of a 12-inch valve along that line caused the change order request.
“We did our best to figure out what was there,” said Gary Cosby of CTI Engineers Inc. “Based on the drawings, we made an assumption that (the valve) was on one side. It was on the other side, and it made a big difference as to which one. That’s the way we drew it up and, unfortunately, it was on the opposite side.”
Cosby said the valve was replaced by Henley Construction Co. about a week and a half before the board meeting was held.
Jasper Mayor Billy Simpson said the work had to be done before the meeting was held to keep the project moving.
“We’re doing what we have to do to get it right,” he said.
Alderman Paul Evans, who cast the only vote against the change order, stopped short of suggesting foul play.
“We’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit aren’t we?” he said. “(Henley Construction Co.) made a $5,000 mistake in the original bid and now (they’re) getting $4,177 back for replacing a valve. CTI was involved in inspecting and should have known where it was. That’s the problem I’ve got with this thing.”
Cosby said that, if engineers had known where the valve was actually located, it would have been reflected on all the bids the town received for the project.
The board accepted a $10,622 bid from Underground Video Technology Inc. for cleaning and video inspection of about a mile of Jasper’s sewers. The original estimate for the work was $3 per foot, but the low bid came in at about $1 per foot, officials said.
“We’re trying to cover some of the deeper sewers in the downtown area where we suspect we might have some problems,” Cosby said.
The board agreed to give Simpson the discretion to approve extra work on the sewers up to $5,000 since the bid came in so far below the original estimate.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.