Council approves up-to-$500,000 change order to add Willow Street to mill-and-overlay project

The council voted to approve a change order, not to exceed $500,000, to expand the previously awarded mill-and-overlay contract to include Willow Street (Minnesota Avenue east to the southeast corner of the high school property) and other miscellaneous locations. City staff said the contractor is tentatively scheduled to begin the mill-and-overlay work on Aug. 11 and that adding Willow Street now takes advantage of the contractor's schedule and the unit bid prices.

Staff told council the Willow segment urgently needs improvement and would otherwise likely be delayed until a larger reconstruction project (contingent on future funding) scheduled next summer. Adding the Willow segment to the current contract could deliver earlier improvements at competitive pricing, staff said. The city has coordinated with the high school and will notify coaches and faculty about potential impacts to access during a roughly one-week work window.

Council approved the change order; staff and the contractor said the Willow portion should take about a week and could be completed in three to four days depending on conditions. The approval also included other patching locations to be added under the unit-price contract up to the $500,000 cap.