County officials Monday approved a change order for a now-finished new salt and sand storage building at the Bartholomew County Highway Garage.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners approved a change order increasing the cost of the salt barn project — originally bid at $848,700 — by $16,004.50.
The change order was to pay for a $5,900 geotechnical report and about $10,000-worth of concrete slurry mixed into the soil to help hold footers in place at the salt barn, located at the county highway facility at 10150 E 25th St.
Both items, the commissioners said, should have been included in the original bid packet for the project but were not.
In the meantime, Premium Concrete Walls, the contractor on the project, agreed to pay for both. The additional change order is essentially just to reimburse the contractor.
The change order was approved 2-0. Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, R-District 1, recused himself from the vote and left the room — as he has in the past on matters relating to the project — because his son, Evan, is president of Premium Concrete Walls.
The residential solid concrete wall foundation company’s bid was over half-a-million less than the other three bids the project received when opened in February.
Dunlap & Co., R. Chavez Construction and Ferguson Construction, bid the project at $1.394 million, $1.48 million and $1.322 million, respectively
Due to the significant difference between Premium Concrete’s bid and the others, the commissioners asked county highway department officials and project consulting firm DLZ Indiana to examine the bids. County Engineer Danny Hollander and DLZ’s Charlie Day during the commissioner’s meeting on March 3 reported all bids, including Premium Concrete’s, met specifications and requirements.
The county had been using the 9,600-square-foot salt barn at the former county highway garage at 2452 State St., but were only able to until the start of October.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission purchased the 6-acre old county highway garage for $1.075 million in October 2024, with the understanding that the county could continue to use the salt barn there until the new one was constructed.
