Uptown Garage Budget Draws from Contingency Fund

The Sedona City Council recently sanctioned a 15th change order totaling $382,123 for its ongoing Uptown garage project. This decision, made during the meeting on May 27, aims to finance additional soil nailing work required for the garage foundations.

Kurt Harris, the Director of Public Works, explained that the need for this change order stemmed from rock fractures encountered during excavation. “The underlying geology of the rock mass revealed numerous horizontal and vertical bedding planes, resulting in unexpected overbreak around the excavation perimeter,” he noted.

The agenda item detailed that pre-splitting was performed to mitigate breakout issues, but the results varied significantly. “While some sections showed effective results, others in fractured zones performed poorly,” the documentation indicated. Consequently, extra shotcrete placement was essential to fill areas where excessive breakout had occurred. Harris emphasized that the soil nailing method remains the most effective option for wall development, balancing cost and schedule effectively.

Harris confirmed that this change order had already been accounted for in the project budget as part of the contingency fund. Councilman Brian Fultz inquired about the percentage of the contingency that would be utilized. Associate Engineer Bob Welch reported that this change order would consume approximately 40% of the set contingency funds.

Since the project’s inception, a total of 15 change orders have accumulated a cost of $6,340,737.70. This has raised the total contract value from $10,683,253 to $17,023,990.70, extending the duration of Fann’s contract from 482 days to 1,089.5 days.

The council approved the change order with a unanimous vote of 6-0, although Councilman Derek Pfaff was absent.