A change order in the contract to streetscape North Eugene Street is on the consent agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 20 City Council meeting.
This may be wishful thinking on city staff’s part because this has been an extremely controversial project and business owners from this portion of North Eugene Street complained at the Dec. 6 meeting about the street being closed for waterline replacement.
Almost a year ago, on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, North Eugene Street was closed by the city for a waterline replacement and streetscape project. On Tuesday, Jan. 4, business owners on North Eugene Street complained to the City Council about the street being completely closed to traffic without proper notification and noted that in 2017, when the street was closed for waterline replacement, the City Council promised the business owners that it wouldn’t happen again.
On Jan. 5, 2022, by order of the City Council, Eugene Street was reopened to traffic and the waterline replacement and streetscape project was put on hold.
In the next couple of months the city paid over $200,000 to Yates Construction Company for not working.
This change order #2 is to add $200,000 to the contract with Yates Construction Company. The original contract for the streetscape and waterline replacement was for $7.48 million. With this change order that total will be raised to $8 million.
The additional $200,000 in change order #2 is to cover the cost of remobilization, storage fees and additional traffic control devices that were requested by the business owners on North Eugene Street.
Since the waterline had been replaced in 2017, the business owners had questioned why it needed to be replaced again in 2022. The answer from the city was that the location of the new waterline interfered with the proposed streetscaping. The waterline had reportedly been placed in an area where the streetscaping project would be planting trees and therefore had to be moved.
It was the street closure for this waterline replacement that brought the business owners to the Dec. 6 meeting.
It never seems to occur to the Council to show support and compassion for the majority of citizens of Greensboro. WE need help too. Why can’t they make us proud and glad to be living in town and to feel comfortable and satisfied to be here together and pleased for our time here on earth. It is always about them and never about us. We ALL need help and caring. Do WE need all the things that they are spending “OUR” money on? Can We not save for OUR future and be better together? We ALL need compassion now and forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any civil engineers on the city council?
They cannot even spell the words!
Another council SNAFU. No problem, your tax dollars and you elected them. Enjoy.
What a go city of Greensboro. Another example of not thinking and just doing. We cannot afford such stupid behavior.
You get what you ask for. Blame the people who bothered to show up for the last elections.
Probably invasive non native trees planned for the streetscape plan. So sad the largesse and lack of foresight.
What incredible incompetence – at our expense.
Streetscape? How about fixing the pot holes in WAY too many streets in GBO? Intersection of Guilford College Road and West Friendly is an example which has ruts and dips in the streets, even Battleground needs a huge overhaul. Then again, we got to give the mayor credit for avoiding the average citizen and cow-tying down to special interest groups. . . .such as the council spending tons of money putting in sidewalks in areas where the foot traffic is almost zero.