Jacksonville aldermen approved a contract change order to the New Water Treatment Plant Project at last night’s city council meeting.
Following the workshop session, prior to the regular city council meeting, Jacksonville aldermen entered into an executive session to discuss in further detail some of these changes.
Principal Project Engineer for Benton & Associates Jamie Headen was on hand to discuss these items with the city council prior to their final vote. Headen goes over some of what took place within this change order to the project.
“Contract change order #11 was acted on and approved by the council tonight. It contained a lot of items to kind of close out the construction process. We’ll probably have a final close out in September-October, the council is looking to get the project financially closed out this fall and move along, so change order 11 was part of that – getting the contractor paid for the work they’ve completed and getting them done and on to the next job,” says Headen.
Also at last night’s meeting, there was a somewhat lengthy discussion regarding the purchase of two new truck for the city’s Utility Department. While the city eventually approved the purchase of those two trucks, Donny Wood, owner of Wood Wheels in Jacksonville, addressed the council regarding a previously-tabled item about a proposal for the purchase of a used truck from Wood Wheels that would be used for the city’s Parks and Lakes Department. Despite Wood’s request for the council to un-table that item, aldermen voted 8-2 for the item not to be brought off the table. However, aldermen Marcy Patterson told other members of the council that she did not feel it was fair to have a vote on said item without Community Development and Recreational Facilities Director Kelly Hall, who was not present at last night’s meeting.