Norfolk advances $9.6m wastewater grit project, keeps change orders to 3%

Norfolk advances $9.6m wastewater grit project, keeps change orders to 3%The City Council has approved a third change order for the Water Pollution Control Plant improvements, navigating equipment delays and keeping cost overruns minimal as the city prepares to bring the new grit system online by October.

The City Council approved a $69,907 change order with John T. Jones Construction Co. for the Water Pollution Control Plant Improvements - Grit Project.

The project's original contract price was $9.37 million, with total change orders to date keeping the revised contract at approximately $9.65 million.

The new grit system is expected to come online in October 2026, with overall project completion targeted for March 2027.

The latest change order includes intrinsically safe barriers, flow meters, and pipe supports, with city staff taking on a mud valve installation to manage costs.

The City of Norfolk, Nebraska, is advancing a major upgrade to its wastewater infrastructure, approving a $69,907 change order for the Water Pollution Control Plant Improvements - Grit Project during the July 20, 2026, City Council meeting. The approval of Change Order No. 3 with John T. Jones Construction Co. brings the total contract price to $9,649,686. Despite the adjustments, city officials noted that total change orders amount to just 3% of the original $9.37 million contract. "This is a very complex project. A lot of things were sniffed out early on. So, I think we're doing a great job with where we're at," a wastewater department representative stated during the meeting. The city noted that proactive negotiations with the contractor and vendors yielded approximately $11,000 in savings, and additional cost reductions are anticipated as the project progresses. The latest change order covers several owner-requested modifications, including intrinsically safe barriers for variable frequency controls (VFCs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), trench drain cleanouts, a $32,544 intrinsically safe flow meter, and pipe supports for the North Lift Station. To further optimize costs, wastewater plant staff will internally handle the installation of a new mud valve on the grit flow structure, with the change order covering only the $5,878 material cost. The project has navigated equipment delays, but officials confirmed that long-awaited hardware was scheduled to arrive immediately following the meeting. The city expects to bring the new grit system online by October 2026, with full project completion projected for March 2027.