COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus is continuing to pursue its riverfront project, though some officials are starting to echo the doubts of some constituents as costs continue to increase.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission voted Monday to amend its contracts with both Hitchcock Design Group and CORE Planning Strategies for their work on the project. The amended contracts include additional fees and services.
City councilman Tom Dell estimated the project’s overall cost at being $6 million to $8 million and asked, “Are we sure we’re going to get this thing done?”
Dell said community members have asked the same question, as well as questions about the amount of money spent so far and how much more will be spent. He then asked if the city would be able to “get this project off the ground” with the additional funds that were being considered.
Randy Royer with Hitchcock Design Group said that he feels positive about the direction the project is going, despite bureaucratic obstacles it has faced along the way.
“It’s a very convoluted mess, but I do feel very confident that at this point, we’re almost there,” he said. “… If we didn’t feel like we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, we wouldn’t be here, asking for more money.”
Redevelopment director Heather Pope said that for Hitchcock, the additional fees include a fixed rate of $115,200 for services (to be billed upon the project’s completion) and $3,000 for reimbursables (if needed) for a total not-to-exceed amount of $118,200. She said that the city hopes to come in under this amount.
For CORE Planning Strategies, the additional fees include a flat fee of $161,000 and a reimbursable allowance of $7,500.
“This is not the first time that we’ve come in front of you and asked to amend the contracts, but again, we’re in uncharted territory here with the regulatory agencies, and it’s just taking some time,” Pope said. She said that the city has spent some of the money that it had expected to use if they were further along in the project.
For the complete story, see Thursday’s Republic.
