Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180115
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The authority agreed after an hour-long closed session to pay Allegheny Construction Co. an additional $400,000 to finish the landfill's liner and set a completion date of June 1. The liner needs to be in place to protect ground water from seepage.
"Because of a delay in getting started in August, [Allegheny workers] were forced to complete construction during the winter," said John Hubbard, chief executive officer of the authority.
With the winter weather putting the workers further behind, the costs of maintaining the site and renting equipment drove Allegheny's costs up, Hubbard said. The money will come from $1.9 million in unallocated funds from a solid waste system project.
The authority will move into its new offices at the transfer station today, and part of the landfill should be open by early to mid-April, Hubbard said. That's several months behind the original goal of last fall.
Last month, the authority replaced Blacksburg engineering firm Olver Inc. with only two or three months left on the project. Members said at the time that legal action from either party against the other was a possibility.
The authority's attorney, Mark Williams, said he couldn't comment on whether legal action against Olver was discussed during the closed session Thursday or whether Olver was responsible for the delay in construction. But Hubbard told authority board members that budgeted legal fees may have to be adjusted "from time to time, depending on how things go."
Olver Vice President Bob Roberts said Thursday that he believes Olver fulfilled its obligations under the contract and was not responsible for the delays.
Olver's contract with the authority had expired months ago, and the company was seeking additional payment. Rather than continue with the engineering firm, the authority voted last month to seek other firms "on an emergency basis" to finish the landfill.
Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern was hired to complete part of the landfill project, and Mills, Oliver & Webb was hired to complete the transfer station and another part of the landfill.
Hubbard said he didn't know yet whether hiring the two new engineering firms would be more expensive than if the authority had stayed with Olver.
Roberts said Thursday that the authority still owes his company money, but that it wasn't a substantial amount. He said legal action hasn't been discussed.
In other business, the authority approved next year's budget of $10.9 million, which will be for the landfill's first full year of operations. Disposal fees remain the same - $50 a ton for municipal waste and $55 for residential waste.
by CNB