The Chandler Municipal Authority rejected a contract amendment from SRB Engineering for services related to the water treatment plant at their regular meeting on Dec. 9. The amendment asked for an additional $268,900.
SRB Engineering brought the request to the meeting in November, but it was tabled until the CMA could get more information on exactly what the funds were for. At the Dec. 9 meeting, the general consensus was that SRB did not provide enough justification and that they were not due more funds.
“The scope of the project did not change,” said City Manager Jason Orr. “We never asked them to do any additional work.”
He added that the original contract with SRB states that the owner isn’t liable for any cost incurred by the engineer that exceeds the cost set forth. In the task agreement, SRB agreed to do the project for a flat fee.
The original contract was approved on April 11, 2023, and included $196,500 for preliminary engineering services, $458,600 for design and contract administration services, and $211,100 for construction inspection services.
“His (Robert Mullins) explanation that he gave us at the last meeting, it didn’t resonate very well with me,” said Mayor Kent McVey. “I have someone that I’m very close to that’s an engineer, that does the same type of work in another state. I called him, and I asked him, ‘Hey, is this typical?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not.’” The CMA did agree to uphold the original contract with SRB Engineering. Currently, all the engineering work on the water treatment plant expansion has been completed, though the company will be needed for future inspections. Following that, the CMA approved a Financial Commitment Letter from the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma that outlined the payment process for the wastewater treatment plant expansion project. It was agreed that the letter sufficiently showed that the Tribe will honor its financial commitments.
“They going to be a big factor with employment in the area, and I want to be a good neighbor to them,” McVey said. “And I think there might be other future projects that possibly we could partner with them.”
The CMA also approved two invoices to Kimley-Horn for the Reed Park project -- one for $450 and the other for $300. They also approved an invoice from HCGC, LLC for $1,806.20 and $819.50, both for the Reed Park project. Finally, the CMA approved next year’s meeting dates.
The Chandler City Council approved the installation of “truck prohibited” signs at the intersection of Manvel and 2nd Street and Manvel and 3rd Street at their regular meeting following CMA.
As part of the consent agenda, the Council approved the ordinance to rezone property at 115 W 3rd Street from R2 to C2 and a resolution setting meeting dates for the next year. The rezoning ordinance was also declared an emergency.
The Council went into executive session for confidential communication with legal counsel regarding litigation. They did not take any action on what was discussed upon returning.