Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 33	August 13, 2008

Riverport experiences modest price decrease in engineering work

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

It’s not much, but even a $30,000 price reduction in engineering costs was a pleasant surprise for members of the Meade County Riverport Authority.

Authority consultant Mike Flint, during their Aug. 5 meeting, said the project scope planned by GeoTech decreased, along with the price.

The original price was $87,500.18, it was reported, with Flint adding the revised price was about $54,000.

“Garver (Engineers) have started to do the value-added engineering phase and they are looking at savings and some redesigns,” Flint said.

He said firm representatives have updated the Army Corps of Engineers on the project, with Flint stressing the Corps will be kept abreast of any changes made.

According to a 2006 article, construction of the facility will be integral in the continued development of the industrial park area.

“Issuance of the permit will allow the next phases of the project development,” the article said. “Completion of final engineering and design of the port facility and final development of the access road will be the next steps in implementing the project.”

“The scope was more fine-tuned with GeoTech,” Flint said. “Florence & Hutcheson, the consulting engineers, have agreed to the revised scope and the fee.”

Flint also expressed satisfaction with the price, adding it would be a little under the $80,000 mark.

The Authority received a $95,000 grant through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Business Enterprise Grant program, which will be used to pay the fees, Flint said.

In a July meeting, Flint cautioned board members the work needed to be completed this summer, as he had received the last extension possible on the grant.

“We have to have incurred the costs or have it contracted by the end of the summer,” Flint said.

Flint was unsure as to how the bills would be paid, adding in the past the Riverport paid the bills and then the USDA reimbursed them.

He would work with the agency on getting the costs processed quickly.

“GeoTech right now is ready to work, but they have not done anything yet,” Flint said.

“They were waiting on the fine-tuning and verification from the Corps, but now’s the time and they are ready to go,” he said.

Flint said Corps officials want to see the soil borings and any new designs which might arise.

“The Corps know we are doing this,” Flint said, “and they will validate the results.”

Flint predicted the work would take about three weeks and now it was the optimum time to complete it.

“A lot depends on Mother Nature,” he said, “but right now the ground is good and the river is down. Some of the borings are done in the water off a barge. It is really neat to see it being done. The river needs to be pretty calm when they do it.”

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