Delayed project adds costs in Mission
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ST. IGNATIUS — The Mission Town Council wants an explanation from Great West Contracting about why the town’s water improvement project keeps being delayed and thousands of dollars in additional costs are being tacked on.
The project to replace the town’s water lines should have been completed years ago, but a series of setbacks have prevented that from happening, Public Works Director Scott Morton said. Complications with Great West Engineering Firm are the latest problems to delay the project’s fall start date to March 25, 2013. The contractor sent the town a letter in October saying the project’s cost had increased by $37,500. The council wants the company’s business manager to appear and offer a reason for the increased cost and delays at a town council meeting.
“Is he going to charge us another $1,000 to drive all the way up here?” council member Ray Frey said. “I’d rather he didn’t come.”
City attorney James Lapotka found that idea abhorrent, although council members told him it’s already happened twice.
“The guy charged you a thousand dollars to drive up here and talk to you even though you are paying his company thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars?” Lapotka said. “That’s despicable and I don’t think we should have to pay for it and if you want me to call the guy I think that’s appropriate ... Part of the reason we want to talk to the guy is to make sure everything is squared away with the funding agencies because the project’s late and he wants more money. We’re not happy with that. I’d like to know how the other people who are paying for this project are feeling about it.”
The council asked Lapotka to send a letter and give the company a call requesting a meeting at the contractor’s expense.
Frey said all future promises from the company should come in writing.
“We don’t want no more ‘verbally confirmed’ from Great West,” Frey said. “We want it put in writing.”
In other business:
• The council authorized Lapotka to spend up to $500 to have the town’s ordinances transcribed into an electronic file. Currently, Lapotka, town hall, and the police chief have a “hodge podge” of paper ordinances that are difficult to access. Eventually, the council would like to have the electronic file posted online for the public’s use.
• Chief of Police Jeffrey Ferguson said he was in the process of checking into the background of a potential part-time police officer.
• Ferguson said the neighborhood watch group was making progress. After a strong first meeting, Ferguson said at least 15 people stuck around for a second monthly gathering and elected two group leaders.
“A lot of people are interested,” Ferguson said.
• Council members instructed Ferguson to strictly enforce parking laws so snow plows could clear the streets more effectively.
