A change order for the downtown Streetscape project is the big item for the Statesboro City Council to consider this morning during its regular meeting.
     Streetscape contractor Y-Delta, Inc. is seeking an additional $43,983 as part of a change order for work performed by the contractor that was outside the scope of its original contract with the city. The biggest portion of the additional monies is related to removal of concrete slabs underneath the asphalt of East Main Street.
    The original Streetscape contract called for Y-Delta to mill down the top asphalt layer on East Main in order to get the road to a proper elevation for effective drainage and to prepare the road for a new asphalt coat.
    However, according to Brad Deal, assistant city engineer and Streetscape project manager, large concrete slabs were discovered underneath East Main in three or four different areas. Because the concrete cannot be removed by standard asphalt milling equipment, Y-Delta was forced to remove complete sections of the concrete and replace it with a graded aggregate base, which added both time and cost to the project.
     Deal said borings were taken in the project planning phase of the project before contracts were negotiated to determine what was underneath the surface layer and the resulting work load. For some reason, Deal said, the borings were only taken in the sidewalk areas and not in the middle of the street, which resulted in the mid-project discovery of the concrete slabs. Former city engineering director Maz Elhaj was the original Streetscape project manager.
     Y-Delta also is seeking additional compensation for the demolition and replacement of pavement for Georgia Power, the repair of a storm drain and the installation of a stormwater catch basin on Siebald Street.
     In order to facilitate Georgia Power’s burial of the overhead power lines on East Main Street, Y-Delta had to remove three different sections of concrete, which were then replaced after Georgia Power finished burying the lines. Neither Georgia Power nor Y-Delta’s original contracts with the city included payment for this work.
     Also, as project crews worked on the street in front of city hall, an existing storm drain was found to be previously damaged and Y-Delta repaired the damage before finishing that section of the road. In addition, a drainage box had to be installed on Siebald Street near the Averitt Center to correct a drainage problem that was not addressed by the project plans.

Other agenda items
     Other items on the agenda include first and second readings for alcohol licenses. The council will consider second readings for Gregory Wooland as he seeks package licenses for three Clyde’s markets on Fair Road, Highway 67 and Highway 301 South. In addition, the council will seek to approve three first readings for James Rushing of Southern Billiards and Burgers, Qi Ren Checn of Tokyo Japanese Restaurant and Kishorchandra Dodia of the North Main Street Timesaver.
     The city will also consider a motion to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement for Fire Protection Services between the mayor and council of the city of Statesboro and the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners. The agreement outlines the services that the Statesboro Fire Department will provide within the Statesboro Fire Tax District, which is the area in the county within a five-mile driving distance of the city line.
     If approved, the annual agreement will take effect July 1 and will be effective through June 30, 2011. Commissioner’s chair Garrett Nevil has already signed the agreement on behalf of the county.
     The council meets on the second floor of City Hall in the council chambers. Today’s meeting starts at 9 a.m.