The cost of replacing the bubble over the Kedron pools officially soared over the $650,000 mark Thursday night, as the City Council approved spending an additional $93,468 in change orders for the project.
That’s nearly $200,000 more than the original expenditure approved by the City Council in June. And the cost could creep a bit higher, as the city is negotiating with the contractor over another $52,702 in change order charges that the city is currently disputing, officials said.
The good news is that after several delays, the bubble opened for business last weekend and local swim teams have been using the facility in earnest, according to city staff. The facility also holds open swim hours in addition to other swim-related classes.
The bubble, which had to be custom-made, was originally supposed to cost over $454,000 under the June contract with Airzon Companies.
Council authorized the $93,468 payment at least in part on the hope that the company might drop pursuit of the remaining $52,702 in charges. But City Engineer
David Borkowski noted that the city couldn’t justify the additional $52,000 in payments.
The city is also backcharging the contractor for what it felt was damage and other items that were covered in the construction contract, Borkowski said.
The city is paying, however, for changes such as additional unforeseen problems that had to be addressed, including additional waterline relocations necessary for
installing the new anchoring system, electrical repairs and unsuitable soil, Borkowski said.
The entire cost for the bubble, which includes a new air exchange system, is being paid for by the $3 million facilities improvement bond OK’d last year which also is footing the bill for the remainder of the bubble
That bond is also expected to pay for renovations and improvements to existing city facilities from tennis courts to the Gathering Place senior citizens center.
