Council OKs change order

Retroactively ratified by council

by Gabe Donio, Gazette Staff Writer

HAMMONTON—The town council voted to approve an $11,942.55 change order associated with the Hammonton Lake Park Phase I construction. The work had been completed prior to the council’s authorization on February 22, making the 5 to 2 vote a retroactive ratification of the change order by the town council.

Mayor Stephen DiDonato, Councilman Tom Gribbin, Councilman Michael Pullia, Councilwoman Jeanne Lewis and Councilman Sam Rodio voted for the change order. All are Hammonton First members of council.

Councilman James Bertino, a Republican, and Councilman Jerome Barberio, a member of Hammonton First, voted against the change order.

The change order was described in town engineer Adams, Rehmann and Heggan’s section of the February 22 council agenda.

“At this time, the Contractor revised costs have been reviewed and recommended for Council’s consideration for the final change order. Ultimately there is an $11,942.55 increase in the original Contract cost due to extra work requested. This is a 2.58% increase to the original Contract, which will have a final value of $475,559.50 The original request from the Contractor was $15,201.50 with a final adjusted cost of $11,942.55, yielding a $3,805.91 decrease to the original Contractor’s request. Please note there is not a final payment request in for consideration as of this writing only the change order request. There are a few minor punch list items still outstanding. Once these items are completed, we can work to close out the contract and requisition the $400,000 grant from Atlantic County,” the agenda stated.

The change order was awarded to Highway Safety Systems, according to the council agenda.

Barberio, who voted against the change order and was directly involved with the Hammonton Lake Park Phase I construction, said he disagreed with the process by which the change order came before the town council.

“It’s the change order that comes to council before the work is completed or change is made that I am in favor of. It’s the change order that comes to us as a ‘field change’ that I have a problem with, and I am not in favor of, and that’s why I voted against it,” Barberio said.

Field changes are a number of items on the project that comprised the $11,942.55 change order, Barberio said.

“Some of these changes should have come to council before they were put into motion,” Barberio said.

Barberio said a report was issued by Adams Rehmann and Heggan (ARH) in mid-September regarding the changes, which he said totaled nearly $30,000. Later, that figure would be reduced, Barberio said.

Barberio said his vote against the change order centered on the retroactive ratification of the work and its cost.

“If you are presented as a council member change orders before the work is done then you accept the decision that is made. When the change orders are presented after, it’s a different situation,” Barberio said.

According to Barberio, the designer of the Canoe Club building would not do anything before they received the approval from council. All issues related to the Canoe Club were “properly addressed at council,” Barberio said.

There were no retroactively ratified change orders associated with the Canoe Club building, Barberio said.

The pledge of donations of trees for the lake park is still viable, according to Barberio. A bid process will be used to select the nursery that will receive the town’s order, and donated money will be used to fund the tree replanting, Barberio said.

“We will be planting 30 large trees, 3 ½-inch-plus to 5-inch caliper trees. The highway department and I will be planting them in the spring,” Barberio said.

Barberio said he did not have an issue with the amount of the change order, but objected to the process.

“It was the process. I like to make an attempt to follow proper procedures. In the end, though, I think Highway Safety did a great job. I also commend ARH for picking up the cost of the boat ramp. They demolished and rebuilt the ramp in about three weeks,” Barberio said.

Mayor DiDonato said he knew about the change order in the last year, shortly after he was elected.

“I was made aware of it somewhere between November 3 and the end of the year. Mayor and council I am sure were aware of it when it was going on. In an effort to bring the completion of the Canoe Club in a timely fashion, these change orders occurred,” DiDonato said.

DiDonato said the change orders were not associated with the Canoe Club building, but site work in phase I of the park.

“These change orders were actually site work change orders, not building change orders. It was site work: parking, a signage change,” DiDonato said.

The change order was made up of field changes which DiDonato said were essential to the project.

“The change orders were necessary for the overall aesthetics and operation of the Canoe Club, the parking and the lights. It’s a beautiful project that will service the seniors for many years to come,” DiDonato said.