Bart and Diane Clark already donated $80,000 for a new bridge in Depot Park, and now the Clarkston couple has offered another $20,000 to cover cost overruns.
When landscaping, lighting and all other work is completed, the project could be $40,000 more than originally thought.
Council members Richard Bisio and David Marsh asked at a Feb. 9 City Council meeting how the project could have been so underestimated, and said it is a legal requirement to have a budget in place before money is spent on a project.
City manager Carol Eberhardt said the city ‘estimated? the cost of the bridge based on what another bridge installed in the park cost over seven years ago.
After the bridge was installed, the city found steel and other materials cost more today.
Eberhardt also expressed’surprise? at the bill for engineering costs for the bridge, about $18,000 more than expected.
New legal requirements in place since the first bridge was installed also increased the cost of the project.
The city will need to find funds for lighting and landscaping costs. For lighting, the city manager estimated $8,000 to $16,000.
Eberhardt said last year when the $80,000 donation was accepted for the bridge and the work started, ‘in my opinion we were coming in under budget.?
-Andrea Beaudoin