With two major capital improvement projects slated for completion this summer, the Pell City City Council received an update this week on how its projected costs compared to what it will actually pay. In one case, expenditures continue to rise. However, in the other, the projections were almost dead-on.

During the regular Council meeting on Feb. 8, Steve Howell of Goodgame Company, Inc., the City’s construction manager, reported on change orders to the Splash Pad and Municipal Complex projects, both currently underway in the city.

Change orders are amendments to contracts that require agreements from both parties to implement. Because everyone has to find accord in changing the price, scope or timeline, they’re widely used in construction agreements. The changes were approved by the Council during the meeting.

Splash Pad Construction

Original Budgets and Contracts: $935,484

Adjustments during Construction: $115,236.25

New Cost Estimates: $1,050,720.25

Howell said the Pell City Splash Pad, which is expected to open this summer, has seen costs increase by approximately $115,000 due to unforeseen needs and additions or adjustments to the scope of work. Some of these include modifying the building on site to accommodate concession sales and adding sidewalks to the area.

The bulk of the cost increase for the Splash Pad project – approximately $67,800 – is applied under the label of in-kind services, which means the City will be performing the work. Overall, including fixtures, the total cost for the project now exceeds $1.6 million.

“A large part of the Splash Pad work is in-kind site work,” City Manager Brian Muenger said in an email. “We’re also running well under budget on some of the Parks & Recreation performed work, such as pavilion construction, which will offset the building modification change order.”

Municipal Complex Construction

Original Contracts: $1,969,267

Adjustments during Construction: $152,610.81

New Cost Estimates: $2,121,877.81

Original Budget: $2,118,267

North of the Splash Pad on U.S. 231, the Pell City Municipal Complex is just about hitting the mark. Howell said that despite more than $150,000 in requested adjustments to the budget for the Complex, the project is anticipated to wrap up only about $3,600 over predictions.

Initial budgeting for the Complex projected the total cost at approximately $2.12 million, but bids were awarded $149,000 less than that. Change orders that have been requested since the project began total approximately $153,000, meaning initial cost estimates were only off by about $4,000.

“We still have a few items to work through, mainly signage, the IT package, and landscaping and irrigation,” Muenger said. “There are also some general items around the building like concrete work and lighting that may need to be addressed.”

In his presentation, Howell told the Council that change orders “have occurred due to unforeseen conditions that were not visible at the time of bid. These items also posed a schedule impact or threat.” These included adjusting ceiling heights and installing new grids, adjusting plumbing lines and modifying the roof to accommodate new, larger HVAC units.

Howell said the Complex’ projected completion date was around June 10, but Goodgame Company now expects “substantial completion” by the third week of April and final occupancy around the first week of May – about two months ahead of schedule.