The Port of Port Townsend has officially closed out its contract with the construction firm hired to repave the Jefferson County International Airport runway following a final change order of $559,922.
The total project cost has been revised to a little over $3.9 million.
To offset the cost for the change order the port recently received $333,333 in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act as part of the $18 million offered up to Washington Airports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Port of Port Townsend executive director Eron Berg said the port would be pulling the remaining cash from the port’s unencumbered reserve funds.
“There is an amount [$226,589] that the port’s investing in this project that we did not anticipate at the outset,” Berg said. “Big-picture wise, [it is] a really positive project, executed well with an excellent finished product that will be resilient and more durable than what we planned to build at pretty minimal cost to Jefferson County taxpayers.”
The added costs were incurred after defects were found in the surface of the runway following the initial paving effort by Scarsella last summer.
After it was determined that the runway was out of Federal Aviation Administration specifications, the port asserted that the operation of heavy trucks on the asphalt put down during construction resulted in the deformed surface.
That determination, however, kicked off a debate between the port and the vendor about who was responsible for handling the costs to overlay more asphalt on the runway in order to bring the project back within regulations.
Now, with all contention in the rear view mirror, Berg said what has been built will now likely outlast its preliminary design.
“Focusing on what was actually built and how it’s performing, we have a good outcome,” Berg said. “The extra asphalt on the ground will give our runway a little higher weight capacity and it definitely gives us a runway we believe will last longer than what was originally [specified].”
Of Scarsella Brothers Construction, Berg added that the port had “good feelings for their crew and Lakeside as well.”
“This was a tough project to build; difficult specs to meet. Ultimately, we got there. It was a more difficult path than any of us hoped, but a good outcome and I think Lakeside, Scarsella and the port are all pleased with the finished product,” he said.
Berg noted that those who have been using the runway since the finishing touches were made have provided nothing but positive feedback.
“While it cost more and we had to go through trials and tribulations to get to the finish line, I don’t hear anything but compliments from the community of users who are on the runway all the time,” he said.
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August 12, 2021 at 03:04AM
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Port of Port Townsend closes runway contract after $500000 change order - Port Townsend Leader
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