SOUTH RIVER–The Borough Council has approved three change orders pertaining to its new firehouse.
Change order request No. 53 allows for labor, material and equipment for removal of debris and unsuitable fill, for an amount of $26,805.50, while change order request No. 55 allows for a credit for a missing hydrant valve, according to the council agenda for the Feb. 12 meeting.
Change order request No. 54, which was adopted on Jan. 8, allows for a settlement that has been negotiated between D&K Construction and the borough for a credit of $25,000 relating to the paving of the firehouse and restoration of the bell tower, according to council agenda.
The new firehouse at the corner of Raritan and Jackson streets will replace the old firehouse located on George Street. There is also a firehouse on Appleby Avenue, according to Council President Shawn Haussermann.
“The George Street firehouse was over 100 years old and was in need of extensive renovation. A previous administration decided that rather than renovate, it would build a new structure,” he said.
Haussermann said D&K Construction was awarded a contract in August 2015. The project is well past the initial completion date as numerous delays, repairs and change orders have occurred since the beginning of construction, he said.
“The current architect, Mitchell Associates, has had a difficult time in dealing with all of the discovered deficiencies in the building and has put in many additional hours in monitoring the performance of the contractor,” Haussermann said. “Numerous change orders have been implemented in order to repair defects in the building and make design changes. At the most recent council meeting, change orders 53, 54 and 55 were approved, dealing with problems that occurred much earlier in the project.”
The new firehouse was previously the location of a shuttered gas station and the local Knights of Columbus building, according to Haussermann.
“The new firehouse project was financed by a $486,640 per year, 30-year U.S. Department of Agriculture loan. The total funding covers not only the cost of the building construction, but also the purchase of the properties and the cleanup and remediation required,” Haussermann said. “The properties were found to be contaminated and were cleaned up at the borough’s expense. Additional costs were incurred as the ground under the proposed building was found to be unstable. To support the weight of such a large building, over 300 pilings had to be installed to provide a firm enough footing.”
He continued, “It is difficult to say when the new firehouse construction will be finished as some of the problems found during construction are still being solved. It is currently being utilized by the fire department, but has not been issued a permanent Certificate of Occupancy yet. Also, due to deficiencies found in the materials used in the paving of the parking lot, the lot will need to be completely repaved in the spring.”
For more information, visit www.southrivernj.org/agendas/council/.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].