Rehoboth to address rising costs of city hall

Rehoboth commissioners on Feb. 27 discussed $600,000 in change orders for the new City Hall complex, and they have more change orders to discuss during a workshop Monday, March 6. The new change orders are expected to total more than $375,000, city officials said.

About $425,000 of the original change orders are the result of five changes – $152,000 for stormwater management revisions; $84,000 for data cabling city hall; $84,000 for a perimeter foundation drain; $64,000 to changed electrical service conductors to copper; and $42,000 to relocate a generator pad.

There’s an additional  $85,000 expense for change orders associated with retrofitting the new city hall with the convention center – $35,000 for additional work associated with the sanitary tie-in; $17,000 for new air conditioning units; $16,000 to change the existing fire department connection; and $17,000 to provide copper conductors from the convention center to the town’s parking building.

Rehoboth officials declined to provide the Cape Gazette with a list of the additional change orders to be discussed at the workshop. During a March 1 interview, Sharon Lynn, town manager, said she was meeting with project engineers and contracts that afternoon to discuss the remaining $375,000 in changes. 

In a follow-up email, Krys Johnson, town spokeswoman, said most of the change orders were discussed during the Feb. 27 meeting, but not all. She said construction of the new city hall is a continual process with change orders in the pipeline still being negotiated with contractors, architects and the city's representatives.

"The change orders need to be vetted with the contractors before announced," she wrote, adding that town commissioners also need to review the change orders prior to the workshop.

Without getting into specifics, Johnson said the most expensive changes to be discussed during the upcoming meeting will deal with drainage components.

Johnson said Mayor Sam Cooper and Lynn have the responsibility to approve or disapprove all change orders and attend all meetings.

“The mayor and city manager approval of change orders reflect the best interest of the city,” she wrote.

She said town officials have full confidence in the ability of EDiS, the Wilmington-based company hired by the town to serve as project overseer, and that change orders for a project of this size are normal.

Johnson said more information about the change orders will be available at the March 6 meeting.