Yelm City Council unanimously approved adopting two change orders for the water reclamation facility (WRF) project at its Nov. 14 meeting. Phase 2 of the project began in September of 2022 and is described as going “really well.”
Brad Chatwood, with Yelm Public Works, said one of the change orders included many pieces. He said it includes adding additional bracing to the bio-dryer shed, redirecting the bio-dryer drain line to the septage-receiving station, increasing flow capacity of the sewage-receiving station, dewatering the septage-receiving station, making electrical revisions, adding a reclaimed water hydrant, making modifications to the septage control vault and relocating the centrifuge building.
The work will increase the amount of the original contract by $306,727.59, including tax.
“We did account for a 10% contingency that we are well under on this project. These changes account for less than 1% of the total project,” Chatwood said. “The fact that we’ve gone almost a year now into a project of this size without any change is amazing. I know that is a big number, but it’s necessary. This is going to help our plant run the way we want it to run. In the long run, this is going to do nothing but help us out.”
Chatwood described the next change order as the “fun part,” because it results in a decrease of $62,581.72 because of a removal of the chemical feed building and relocation of the equipment.
“There will be modifications to the existing building to accommodate, but this option is much more cost effective,” Chatwood said.
Chatwood added that they’re doing “really well” considering the size of the project and the few change orders required over a year in.
“This has been a long time coming, but we chose to delete the chemical feed building because we have a building on site that we can use to house equipment,” Chatwood said. “Like I said, the main thing is we’re well within our contingency. I want everyone to know that in all these jobs, none of the decisions are made lightly. We go over this to make sure we’re getting the product we want from the contractor, and what we want from the engineers.”
Phase 2 of the project was originally approved on Sept. 13, 2022, and was described by Pat Hughes as being one of the largest projects in city history as it totaled $32,998,602.
