At left, Ryan Raskin of Altius Building Company discusses a change order Monday, June 11, for the Howard Commons apartment project with Village President Burt McIntyre at right while Administrative Assistant Leigh Ann Wagner Kroening looks on in back. Kevin Boneske Photo
By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – Two months after change orders adding more than $100,000 toward the cost of the Howard Commons apartment project were approved by the village board, additional change orders were approved at the Monday, June 11, board meeting.
Ryan Raskin and Rick Milburn of Altius Building Company and Erik Goerke, the CEO/owner of Alliance Management, appeared before the board to go through the latest changes that either raised or lowered the project price.
The changes backed by the board included:
• An increase of $17,447 to add a furnace and furnace room in the first-floor common space to eliminate ductwork soffits in that area and include unit heaters in the parking garage.
• An increase of $15,105 for roofing revisions that include additional intake and exhaust vents, scuppers, piping and the deletion of downspouts and siding.
• A decrease of $48,914 to reverse a previous proposal request that called for adding gas meter rooms.
• An increase of $4,740 to change the shower pans in the ADA showers from tile to pre-fabricated.
• An increase of $12,453 for the electrical work associated with facilitating the installations by AT&T and Spectrum.
• An increase of $18,397 for column pads as a result of these column bases not being included in the masonry bid package.
• An increase of $1,800 for a sawcut brick ledge that was not shown on the structural drawings but required by the architectural drawings.
• An increase of $4,750 to add soft-close toilet seats for less noise.
• A decrease of $6,077 for thermostats that will be furnished by the owner with “smart thermostats” purchased in bulk and each eligible for a $75 Focus on Energy credit.
• An increase of $10,900 for door hardware for the aluminum doors excluded in the bid proposal.
• An increase of $950 for masonry enclosures for winter enclosures from Feb. 25 to April 17.
• An increase of $1,337 to add glass between the concierge lobby and the social lounge.
• A decrease of $18,408 to reconcile the security allowance with surveillance and access control contracts and security wiring.
• An increase of $2,223 with the quantity, types and locations of lighting in the common area being clarified.
• An increase of $9,123 for hardware and security modifications related to the keyless entry at patio doors and padlock hasps at storage lockers.
• An increase of $64,066 for a sound mat under the vinyl plank flooring for the apartments.
Though the proposal requests to make changes with the apartment project were approved as presented, board members raised questions about why some items were not included beforehand or if they were actually needed.
For instance, when Trustee Cathy Hughes questioned whether soft toilet seats were necessary, Goerke noted they would be quieter than hard seats when placed down, given the plumbing configuration.
Georke said the sound mat, which had been excluded in the bid proposal submitted by HJ Martin, is designed to reduce sound through the flooring.
“It’s not as quiet as carpet, but it’s way less loud than the status quo,” he said.
Raskin said some changes could be expected when doing multiple bid packages for the project, but “there has probably been too much of it.”
“I’ll raise my hand and say when we mess up or miss something or we should have done something differently,” he said.
Board members also awarded contracts for furniture for the common areas and fitness equipment in the apartments.
A furniture contract of $83,384 was awarded to 4 Design, with Direct Fitness Solutions being awarded the fitness equipment contract of $33,986.
A lease agreement between the village of Howard and the Community Development Authority for the Howard Commons apartments received board approval as well.
To qualify for financing through the issuance of two bond anticipation notes and eventually long-term bonds, the CDA is technically the owner of the land and the buildings. However, the village’s intent is to be the operator of the buildings.
The village has already entered into an agreement with Alliance Management for Alliance to manage and market Howard Commons.