St. Ignatius Council delays payment for water project
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ST. IGNATIUS – St. Ignatius Town Council voted for the second time to not issue payment for completion of the town’s water project, until a final punch list could be completed.
The council voted in May to withhold payment from the contractor and engineering firm, citing unsatisfactory performance and uncompleted elements of the project that has taken almost a year to build, when the original contract said it would take 90 days. The project called for a new town well and new water lines.
A month after the town originally withheld payment, the council said there is little progress that has been made to remedy the lingering issues.
“The punch list is complete by no means,” Councilman Ray Frey said.
Public Works Director Scott Morton said he believes the town’s contract includes provisions that say payment will be withheld from the contractor if the contractor caused the delays. Morton said when work has gotten done, it’s been shoddy.
“They put a patch on a patch on a patch,” Morton said of one paving element of the project.
In May, the council said legal arbitration might be necessary to settle the fee disputes, but no mention of court was made in June.
A final walk-through of the project was slated for June 5.
