Resolution #185 dated 8/4/15 approved the award of a contract to demolish the property at 54/56/58 Leonard Wood Drive, in the amount of $72,100. The City bid this project on behalf of BCU, and will be reimbursed by the TIFA.
After beginning work on the property, the contractor encountered a site condition underground, which no one was aware of (or could have reasonably been) when we issued the specifications or when the bidders responded.
The depth and size of the concrete underground and the size and weight of the pads the foundation sits on were designed for a 25-story building, not a one-story building as is this property. This would require substantially more, and deeper, excavation and removal of concrete.
Dennis McKinley, Code Compliance Administrator, consulted with Don Wilkinson, City Building Inspector and Kim Tuck, formerly City Chief Building Official who all visited the site. Both agree that the foundation underneath the structures at the Leonard Wood site is unusual for this type of structure. Also, both agree that the excavation contractor would not have been able to anticipate such conditions. Mr. Tuck advised that a foundation system of this design could be anticipated under a building 25 stories tall, and that the change order request is reasonably priced.
The Leonard Wood site is formerly a military installation and because of that there were no construction records to refer to.
We believe that the contractor provided his original bid in good faith and had no way to determine what the foundation system actually consisted of, and this change order request is reasonable.
On October 27, 2015, Dennis McKinley presented his findings to the TIFA board, which approved the change order. The final step in this process is for the Battle Creek City Commission to approve this change order, since the City holds the contract.
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