The St. James School District Board of Education approved a $45,545.43 change order for the construction project at Lucy Wortham James Elementary at its special meeting Aug. 25.
The change order was divided into two parts.
The first part of the change order involved man holes that were originally thought to be sewer lines, which were actually for electric.
Therefore, a three-inch conduit changed to a four-inch conduit and a new distribution panel in the south edition was installed to the new utility pole, which the City of St. James installed.
A larger panel also had to be installed that included a change from 1,000 amp to 1,200 amp.
The total for this change order was $30,540.72 and included 5 percent for the contractor, Westward Construction, and subcontractor, Meyer Electric, for overhead cost.
The second part of the change order included electrical wiring into the building and wiring that is fed through the building for electrical service.
In the original bid documents, it was assumed the building required a four-wire system. Plans from the architect, Porter & Associates, were drawn for a four-wire system.
After working at the site, construction crews discovered the system is actually three-wire, so work would have to be completed to change the system to four-wire.
The cost for this part of the change order totaled $15,004.71 for materials and labor. The two parts added to a total of $45,545.43 for the second change order of the construction project.
Board Secretary Jan Burch explained the district has a contingency fund for any unforeseen changes such as change orders.
Lloyd Pooker with Creative Construction Solutions noted the project is 75 percent complete facing hidden utilities underground such as electric, sewer and other piping.
Any unknowns in the project are typically where the contingency funds are spent.
Burch explained the Elementary school has had multiple additions throughout the years as well.
