KEYPORT – Members of the Keyport Borough Council have authorized an increase in a contract through which upgrades are being completed at the borough’s water treatment plant.
On April 6, council members authorized a $52,500 increase to a $564,000 contract that was awarded to Mott MacDonald in 2016 for upgrades to the Perry Street water treatment plant. The contract now totals $616,500 and the increase was made toward the construction phase contract of the project, according to a resolution.
According to Mott MacDonald, the main components of the upgraded water treatment plant include the installation of a new pre-treatment system, a new pressure filtration system, new high service pumps, chemical feed upgrades, supply well upgrades, the rehabilitation of the intermediate and backwash basins, the installation of a new centralized programmable logic controller providing plant operators the necessary level of control and monitoring of the overall treatment plant systems, and installation of an emergency generator under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The increase in the contract was the result of contractor schedule and coordination challenges, and unforeseen conditions and borough-requested changes, according to Mott MacDonald.
Mott MacDonald said Coppola Services, the general contractor on the project, experienced setbacks and challenges that resulted in an extended contract duration and required additional communication and coordination efforts on Mott MacDonald’s part.
“This allowed us to help the borough keep the project on track so the project would be required by the completed deadline to produce finished water by May 1,” the firm’s representatives wrote.
Due to unforeseen conditions encountered during construction, borough personnel requested changes to the project during the construction phase, according to Mott MacDonald.
“Both of these resulted in the need for additional engineering costs relative to design, coordination and inspection services by Mott MacDonald staff to keep the project on track,” the firm’s representatives wrote.
