Goodrich- The pathway on Hegel Road is done, but not forgotten.
Nor is it gone from discussion at village meetings, as was evident on March 12 as the subject was mentioned both directly and indirectly, with council member Patty Wartella invoking the incident as warning against future construction.
Construction of the paved, non-motorized pathway bordering Hegel Road west of the Goodrich Country Club to Oaktree Elementary was completed in September of last year, more than a year later than originally planned.
The pathway came at an estimated cost of $403,400, including the village paying $80,700 in matching funds and Atlas Township paying an estimated $30,000.
The project has been rife with problems, with accusations of fault volleyed between pathway engineers Wade Trim and the contractor, Oakland Excavating Company of Pontiac. And while Oakland Excavating claims they are owed money for work done to compensate for poor engineering and preexisting soil conditions they were not made aware of, Wade Trim representatives say any extra work done by the company was only necessary because of faulty work.
Recently, Wade Trim Representative Becky Baker asked the village council to consider reimbursing nearly $60,000 in costs she said the firm incurred in the prolonged construction and resulting conflict.
Council president Ed York said if any such reimbursement were to be made, it would come from liquidated damages the village is trying to collect from Oakland Excavating through the Michigan Department of Transportation.
York previously told The Citizen Oakland Excavating was fined about $450 per day past the expected date of completion’money the village may not be awarded in the way of liquidated damages.
A meeting to determine if any such liquidated damages would be awarded was scheduled to take place with MDOT last month’a meeting York said was ‘the most ridiculous meeting I’ve ever attended.?
York said he was told the meeting had to be scheduled prematurely, because Oakland Excavating had never filed an official claim with MDOT stating the company was entitled to more money.
‘We did have a meeting with MDOT thinking it was going to be a claims meeting,? said Village Administrator Jakki Sidge. ?… in the long run, they adjourned the meeting and told them to submit a claim.?
A representative from Wade Trim said the contractor later filed the proper paperwork, with Wade Trim submitting a response.
Both Sidge and York said they are awaiting word from MDOT about when the next claims meeting will take place, to try and resolve the issue.
Baker previously said about $75,000 is still in contention for the project.
Talk of the pathway bled into discussion of the next upcoming project to be engineered by Wade Trim, the Erie Street Safety Project.
In December of last year, a safety grant was awarded to the village by MDOT to improve the entire intersection of Erie Street and M-15, as opposed to the original plan of only installing a righthand turn lane. Approximately 200 feet of road will be reconstructed at an approximate cost of to $180,000, with the village responsible for approximately $32,000.
A representative from Wade Trim stated during the meeting that the project had been awarded to the lowest bidder, Goretski’s Construction Company, Inc. As was the situation with the pathway, MDOT awards the contract to the lowest qualified bidder, with the contract existing between that bidder and MDOT. Neither the village nor Wade Trim have much authority over the contractor.
When asked about the reputation of Goretski’s, the Wade Trim representative said reviews were mixed. Wartella then asked if it was to late to halt the project, if the village was going to be left with the possibility of another situation like the pathway, and was informed because the grant money had already been awarded, it was too late to halt the project. Others on the council spoke on the dangers of delaying progress in the village because of one bad experience.
Wartella said she would like to reconsider accepting grants in the future, if the cost comes at a loss of control over the project.
York said projects like the one on Erie Street have been in the works for years, with money set aside for these projects all the while.
While neither the village nor Wade Trim have much control over the contractor, York said the council is more aware of any possible glitches in the wake of the pathway struggle, and has improved communication with Wade Trim to get the ball rolling sooner on any action that may need to be taken, should a problem arise.
The council granted $42,750 to Wade Trim for engineering costs for the project. Councilperson Pete Morey was absent and Wartella dissented.
Construction is slated to begin after April 1, and be completed by June 30.