By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
In a narrow 4-3 vote, Village of Waterford officials recently agreed to increase spending on a project to improve flooding in the Waterford Farm Drainage District by nearly $10,000.
Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald came before the board Aug. 27 with a second change order on the project, which was approved in December after contracted firm Mann Bros. Inc. was enlisted to undertake the endeavor.
In recent months, Mann Bros. workers have been tending to the drainage district, which encompasses 860 acres in the Village and Town of Waterford and the Town of Norway. In the village, new infrastructure includes a lift station and piping.
Ewald said there are a number of loose ends within the project that need tying up for the project to come to a conclusion. She sought authority to increase spending on the project by $3,700 and increase the inspection fees budget by up to $6,000.
In both instances, Ewald said she and other village staffers will work to defray the additional spending in any way possible.
Board members expressed a number of concerns before acting on the request for additional spending.
Trustee Judy Spencer said she disagreed with the request, but went ahead and voted in favor of it because she wants to see the project through.
“We’re at this juncture in the road, and I want to make sure this village is in good faith,” Spencer said. “I don’t agree with the company (Mann Bros.) and how they do business.”
Trustee Steve Denman said he would like to use the incident as a teachable moment for he and his elected colleagues.
“Maybe, at this point, this is a lesson learned for us,” Denman said. “Maybe we won’t be so gracious in the future.”
Ewald was quick to point out money has been saved in the overall project, thanks to additional in-house work conducted by Director of Public Works Jeff Dolezal.
“It’s saved you an incredible amount of money,” Ewald said of Dolezal’s work and expertise lent to the project.
During the recent deliberations, Dolezal disagreed with some board members’ assessment of Mann Bros.’ work on the project. He expressed pleasure with the company.
“Most contractors wouldn’t go to the lengths that they have for us,” Dolezal said. “They really went to bat for us.”
Dolezal said cost overruns are not uncommon for a project of this magnitude.
The village entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the drainage district when the contract was signed in December. The total project at the time was an estimated $1.1 million, and the two entities agreed to a 50-50 split of the cost.
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