RIVER VALE—Approximately 71% of the under-construction Public Safety Complex’s $750,000 contingency fund to handle unanticipated construction expenses was spent by the end of October, according to resolutions approved as part of the Township Council’s Oct. 14 and 27 consent agendas.
According to figures released at the Oct. 14 meeting, when change order No. 19 for the Public Safety Complex was approved, the “remaining contingency allowance” was listed as $214,971.85, from the original $750,000 set aside at the project’s start in late 2023.
Subtracting from the original amount so far, that indicates $535,028.15 in change orders. Should change orders exceed $750,000, that likely will affect the overall project price tag, officials said.
Township Administrator Gennaro Rotella, who also serves as chief financial officer, said as the nearly $15 million project nears completion — likely in late 2025 or early 2026 — more change orders will be needed to wrap up the two-year construction schedule.
He said the day we reached him, Nov. 4, he had seen another change order come through for $2,400 for a shower area that was required, and not on the original specs. “There’s just so many of them now as we try to finish up,” he said.
At the Oct. 14 meeting, the council approved change orders No. 16 and No. 19, for $28,640, and $89,345.96, respectively.
At the Oct. 27 meeting, council approved change orders No. 17 and No. 18, for $74,828.67, and $39,731, respectively. The resolutions did not detail specifics, which were not immediately available.
Rotella told us that the project’s construction manager had hired a construction professional to act as a “closer” and expedite completion of needed items before occupancy occurs. He said the township has furniture and fixtures ready to go when a certificate of occupancy is approved.
“There’s going to be a push over the next two months to complete the project,” Rotella told us.
He said that officials were hoping to have a grand opening when the project is finished and ready for public viewing.
On Oct. 27, the council approved a $65,841.35 contract with EAW Security for “additional cameras, control panels, key fobs and various other security equipment” for the new complex.
In November 2023, the council awarded a $14.8 million construction bid to Dobco Inc. of Wayne. Nearly $20 million in bond funding, approved through two ordinances, is supporting the project.
Officials said the change orders needed to complete the project were not unusual and expected the project to not exceed the contingency balance set aside for extra expenses.