Upgrades to Culver’s water treatment plant are costing the town a bit more than originally thought. The town council voted last week to pay the December claims requested by Michiana Contracting and Midwestern Engineers.
Town Attorney Jim Clevenger said the extra cost to Midwestern Engineers was due to additional work not included in the contract. He added that was caused by delays in the project, but also some options added by the town. “I mean, you paid them as construction managers – I mean, you paid them a lot of money,” he said. “But it ran out. Now, you also added several additional items that he was covering. So it would follow that you would pay that. I mean, the last item was the concrete floor. That was a new item you guys all ordered, and he oversaw that.”
The additional cost to Midwestern Engineers was initially expected to be $4,600. However, a representative with the company attended the previous town council meeting, to discuss whether Michiana Contracting was responsible for the project’s delays. That resulted in the town’s December bill to Midwestern Engineers increasing to over $5,400.
The town council approved that payment last week, along with nearly $1,200 to Michiana Contracting. That came after council members decided not to hold Michiana Contracting responsible for the delays, during their previous meeting.
