Cost increases totaling more than $331,000 for change orders related to rebuilding the Avondale Youth and Family Development Center drew questions from Chattanooga City Council members Tuesday.
Construction began in January on Phase 1 of the new, larger center, budgeted at $6 million. But many neighborhood residents are unhappy with the building’s design, and they have sharply expressed discontent over the size of the indoor basketball court and their dislike of concrete bleachers in the gym.
The council’s agenda included a resolution boosting fees for architect Hefferlin+Kronenberg by $164,798, bringing the contract amount to $505,298. A second resolution added $166,539 to builder J&J Contractors Inc., bringing the contract total to just more than $4.9 million.
District 8 Councilman Anthony Byrd’s first question to Deputy Public Works Administrator Donald Stone and Assistant City Engineer Dennis Malone was whether the added sums were related to constituents’ concerns.
Not really, they said. They mostly reflect a variety of added costs, from replacing soft soils under the building to redesigning some of the electrical infrastructure and relocating the parking lot and tennis courts. The original construction time was estimated at eight months, but the contract was extended to 12, so that boosts costs as well.