Commission approves event-center septic change order; commissioners ask costs for reinstating fire line and sprinklers

The Colfax County Commission approved change order No. 2 for the county event center construction that replaced an existing, unpermitted septic system and upsized water service to accommodate new restrooms.

Mike Proine of the project team said the net change to the construction contract is $11,917 before gross‑receipts tax (about $12,600 with tax). "We need a 2 and 1/2 inch line from the existing meter into the building," Proine explained, and described a 1,500‑gallon septic tank feeding a six‑lateral leach field roughly 400–480 feet in total pipe run.

To keep the project within budget, the contractor removed the fire riser room and the 6‑inch fire line originally planned for the building. Staff reported that the deleted items total roughly $105,000 in deductions; commissioners questioned the wisdom of deleting items related to fire protection and asked that the county explore paying for them out of non‑promotional Lodgers Tax funds.

Commissioner Kern recommended staff identify the cost to extend a 6‑inch water line across the property and to add a sprinkler system so the commission can consider restoring the safety work. The manager told the board that approving the change order now satisfies the grant deadline at the end of June and keeps the construction contract on schedule; if commissioners decide to add the fire line or sprinklers, staff would return with a supplemental change order or negotiate additional pricing with the contractor.

The motion to approve change order No. 2 passed by roll call vote with commissioners recorded as voting yes.

Next steps: staff will obtain current cost estimates for installing the 6‑inch water line across the property and for adding sprinklers/fire riser work and return to the commission for a decision.