Published: August 01, 2008 03:29 pm            

Window contract, first change order finalized

The Marion County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday morning in special session to finalize the contract with VanderWilt Construction for the courthouse window project. VanderWilt was the low bidder and awarded the contract on July 14.

At the special meeting, the first change order to the contract was also approved, which raised the price of the work by $6,000, to $355,530. The change order was necessary because VanderWilt did not include the replacement of large panels above the courthouse entrances in his original bid. Though the change order raised the price, it is still lower than the rest of the bidders.

“I did not have it figured in for labor and material,” Loren VanderWilt, owner of the construction company, told the board. Supervisor Dwight Mater said he “would have a problem” if change orders kept coming in, thus raising the price for the county.

“I don’t foresee any changes,” VanderWilt assured him. A notice to proceed, which will allow VanderWilt to order the windows, was given to him at the meeting. VanderWilt said that once the product is ordered, it will take nearly three weeks to receive it. It will be approximately four weeks before he can begin to install the windows.

A preconstruction meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6. The contract completion date, according to the change order, is expected to be Oct. 20, 2008.

In other board discussion, the unincorporated town of Pershing is in need of a new sewage system. John Franklin with Barker Lemar Consultants, an engineering firm that designs the systems, as well as Randy Finholt, Resource Development Advisor with the Midwest Assistance Program were in attendance.

“We have no one to maintain the system in Pershing,” Missy Poffenbarger with County Zoning said. Poffenbarger has been involved in sewer projects in Tracy and the city of Marysville. Marysville is incorporated and Mahaska Rural Water volunteered to run the sewer system in Tracy, but there is no entity willing to oversee a system in Pershing, she said.

“Until we find someone to maintain the system, we’re at a loss,” Poffenbarger added. Pershing does have its own water system and water board. However, the Pershing Water Board does not want to maintain a sewer system.

A special district could be set up to operate the system, but according to Franklin, this could jeopardize funding from the United States Department of Agriculture.

“The USDA doesn’t really care for special districts,” Franklin said. “You have to have an owner.”

The difference between Tracy and Pershing is that Mahaska Rural Water agreed to act as the owner of the sewer system. Mahaska Rural Water is not interested in doing the same thing in Pershing. Central Iowa Water is willing to advise the county on the sewer system, but has not said whether or not it would be willing to act as owner of the system. A meeting with Central Iowa Water is likely.

“I don’t want to be in the business...of operating a sewer system,” Board Chairman Sam Nichols said. Public Health Director Kim Dorn said the Board of Health is responsible for clean sewers in the county, but it does not have the money to follow through and members are not very knowledgeable about sewer systems.

“It’s going to cost a lot of money for somebody,” Supervisor Howard Pothoven said. “I didn’t run for supervisor to run sewer projects.”

The project could drag on for years. Poffenbarger said Marion County Rural Water is not interested in Pershing’s sewer system. The supervisors will likely meet again after staff meets with Central Iowa Water.

        

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