$30,000 extra for Pipiriki scheme

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 302, 1 September 1989, Page 2

$30,000 extra for Pipiriki scheme

Pipiriki's sewerage scheme has cost $31,464 more than the July 1988 estimate, when the tender was accepted. The final cost is $178,375, up from an updated estimate (October 1988) of $157,190. The reasons for the increase in the estimate included extra costs associated with filter bed access ($1610), pump station relocation ($2500), construction of an additional line ($2468), reinstatement of grass verges etc, extra control valve, additional lampholes and additional engineering costs. The reasons given for the extra final costs included $10,685 extra spent on house connections, $4000 extra engineering fees, $3600 for a scheme reevaluation and contract contingencies. Councillors expressed concern at the extra engineering costs, which district engineer Don Sattler said were

mainly due to the extended construction period (by 10 weeks). He said the project was hampered by poor weather. Mr Sattler said the contractor had asked for $13,000 for other extras which the council did not accept. Also, the contractor had been liable for damages due to the delay in commissioning the project. Councillor John Compton asked if the scheme was now operating effectively, to which Mr Sattler replied there were problems with the filter beds and that the contractor would be asked to rectify the malfunction. Cr Compton asked if it was the contractor's fault or if it was due to lack of supervision, to which he replied that it was yet to be defined. Some councillors expressed concern that the cause of much of

the problems leading tc the extra costs could be the fault of the consultant engineers, who were then being paid extra to help rectify them. Cr Sue said he believed the extra engineering charges should be queried. Mr Sattler said he believed the extra engineering charged were acceptable. He said the engineers would charge even more if they were "asked to come up and explain the extra costs." In ihe original estimate the consultant engineers costs were put down as $22,500 and in the final costings they were set at $29,000. Cr Griffiths said it had been an abysmal summer, that the weather couldn't have been worse. Cr Bennett said the final cost was acceptable considering the weather conditions and that the council should be "relatively pleased".