[K5. Morriss Road Water Lines Phase III (Eaton to Waketon) - Consider approval of a Construction Agreement with Flow-Line Construction, Inc., for the Morriss Road Water Lines Phase III (Eaton to Waketon) project, in the amount of $6,999,712.00; and authorization for the Mayor to execute same on behalf of the Town.]

MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

MORRIS ROAD WATERLINE PHASE THREE.

STAFF PRESENTATION BY MISTER DALE CROWN.

GOOD EVENING, MISTER CROWN.

GOOD EVENING.

SO I'M DALE BROWN, SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER WITH CIP ENGINEERING.

SOME INFORMATION ON THE MORSE ROAD WATER LINE, PHASE THREE PROJECT CONSTRUCTION AWARD.

SO THIS PROJECT INCLUDES INSTALLATION OF APPROXIMATELY 4460 LINEAR FEET OF 30 INCH WATER LINE ALONG MORRIS ROAD BETWEEN EATON STREET AND WAKEMAN ROAD, PRIMARILY LOCATED IN THE MEDIAN PER THE TOWN'S MASTER PLAN.

THE NEW 30 INCH LINE WILL REPLACE A 20 INCH LINE WILL INCREASE THE CAPACITY AND ALSO DECREASE THE MAINTENANCE FOR THAT STRETCH. THE PROJECT INCLUDES THREE BORES.

WE'RE GOING TO BE BORING UNDER TIMBER CREEK AND THEN WE WILL BE BORNE ACROSS TWO INTERSECTIONS COLLEGE PARKWAY AND WAKEMAN ROAD, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO BE REPLACING SECTIONS OF WATER LINES THAT CONNECT TO THE PROPOSED 30 INCH WATER LINE.

SO WE PUT THIS OUT FOR BID IN JUNE.

WE HAD FOUR BIDDERS.

FLOWLINE CONSTRUCTION WAS THE LOWEST OF THE FOUR AT JUST UNDER $7 MILLION.

WE VERIFIED THAT THEY PERFORM SIMILAR PROJECTS IN THE PAST, CHECK REFERENCES AND ULTIMATELY DETERMINE THAT THEY ARE QUALIFIED TO PERFORM THIS WORK.

HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCHEDULE AS MENTIONED.

WE OPENED BIDS IN JUNE, AND IF APPROVED TONIGHT, WE'LL HAVE APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTH DELAY DUE TO LONG LEAD TIMES ON DUCTILE IRON FITTINGS, WHICH PUTS US RIGHT AROUND MAY OF NEXT YEAR.

ONCE THE PROJECT STARTS, IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 11 MONTHS TO GET TO A SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION AND ABOUT A YEAR'S TIME TO GET TO FINAL COMPLETION.

AND THAT IS THE PRESENTATION.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MR. CROWN, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE BID TABULATION? ALL RIGHT. SO I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THE COUNCIL, SO.

THREE OF THE FOUR VENDORS PRICED IT WELL WITHIN $100,000 OF EACH OTHER.

THE LOWEST BIDDER IS OFF BY 500,000.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE COMING MONTHS WHEN WE DO THESE CONSENT ITEM APPROVALS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO THESE CONTRACTS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, AWARDING LPGA CONTRACTS TO VENDORS WHO ARE GOING TO COME IN AND ASK FOR A RIA OR A MOD, AND THEN IT'S GOING TO GET APPROVED ON CONSENT, WHICH IS GOING TO TURN OUT THAT THEY'RE NOT THE LPGA BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A HOT BUTTON ISSUE FOR ME.

RIGHT? SO I JUST WANT TO BE CAUTIONARY THAT THREE OF THE FOUR VENDORS TODAY, WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE.

WE'RE WELL WITHIN ONLY $100,000 OF EACH OTHER, BARELY LESS THAN THAT.

SO I JUST I JUST CAUTION THE TOWN AND THESE LPGA AWARDS.

SO THAT'S REALLY IT WAS JUST MORE OF A COMMENT.

IT JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT THAT COULD GO WRONG.

AND THAT'S I ALSO DID ACTUALLY LOOK THROUGH THE AGENDA PACKET TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT WERE THE COST DRIVERS BEHIND THAT.

RIGHT. BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A VERY SHORT DISTANCE.

[01:15:03]

I'M ASSUMING IT'S THE BORING THAT'S VERY IN THE UNDER THE ROADWAY AND DIFFERENT THINGS.

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT'S A BIG HEAVY PRICE TAG FOR THAT.

BUT I SAID MY PIECE, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TRACKING THOSE EXPENSES AGAINST THAT.

OKAY. AND I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE DOING ANYTHING WRONG.

IT'S JUST. IT'S A MILE.

SO TO THAT END, MAYOR, I SAW YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD WHEN THAT ITEM CAME UP AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT'S HE THINKING? SO I'M GLAD YOU SPOKE UP RIGHT AWAY.

I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY PERFORMANCE GUARANTEES THAT WE CAN WRITE INTO OUR CONTRACT THAT WOULD GIVE US SOME PROTECTION FROM WHAT THE MAYOR IS DESCRIBING.

I GUESS QUESTIONS WOULD BE THEN AS FAR AS IF THEY'RE NOT MAKING PROGRESS ON THE PROJECT OR ARE.

I KNOW ANOTHER CONCERN IS YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT CHANGE ORDERS ON THE PROJECT FLOW LINE IS A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR THAT WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH.

I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'VE HAD A PROJECT IN TOWN, BUT WE ALSO TALK WITH THE ENGINEERING FIRMS THAT DO DESIGN ON THE PROJECT.

WHEN A BID COMES IN, THEY'RE VERY WELL INVOLVED IN PART OF THE BID RESULTS THAT COME IN.

THEY'VE ALWAYS WORKED WITH THE CONTRACTORS THAT WE HAVE.

USUALLY EVERYONE THAT SHOWS UP ON OUR BID LIST IS ALSO SHOWING UP IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY'RE BIDDING.

SO WE ASK THE QUESTIONS, WE FIND OUT WHERE THEY'RE BIDDING.

AND WE DO OFTEN WE WE CALL THROW OUT, WE DO GET RID OF THE LOW BIDDER IF THEY DO NOT MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS.

BUT IF THEY DO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS, THEN A REALLY A LOT OF IT IS JUST MANAGING THE PROJECT AND STAYING ON TOP OF A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE CONCERNS OVER.

IF THINGS DO LOOK LIKE THEY MAY BE WORKING TOWARDS A CHANGE ORDER, WE MAKE SURE THAT IT IS SOMETHING LEGITIMATE THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR OR THERE'S A REASON WHY WE'RE DOING IT.

WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT PAYING CHANGE ORDER PRICES.

SO I PRIDE MY ENGINEERS IN KNOWING HOW TO NEGOTIATE THOSE THINGS, HOW THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT IF WE DO HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE ON A PROJECT, THAT WE'RE PAYING PRICES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH BID COST FOR CHANGE ORDERS.

IF WE DO HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE ON A PROJECT.

THE OTHER THING I WOULD ADD IS YOU'RE LOOKING AT THREE CONTRACTORS FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THERE'S LOTS OF HIGH BIDS RECENTLY IS THEY HAVE ENOUGH WORK TO GO AROUND WITH ALL THE ARPA FUNDING THAT'S GOING ON WITH A LOT OF OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING AND STATE FUNDING OUT THERE.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK.

WE'VE GOT A RECENT PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO REBID IT BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE BIDDER ON THE PROJECT AND THEY'VE SAID WE REALLY DON'T WANT IT.

WE PRICED IT HIGH BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING WE'RE RUNNING INTO.

SO ON THIS PROJECT, I LOOK AT THIS AND I SAY, WELL, WE'VE GOT A LOW BIDDER THAT WE'VE CHECKED REFERENCES WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH, OUR ENGINEERS, COMFORTABLE WITH AND FAMILIAR WITH. AND IF WE DON'T GO WITH THEM AND WE GO WITH ONE OF THE OTHERS THAT WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH, WE'RE GOING TO PAY AN EXTRA 5 OR $600,000 ON THE PROJECT ALREADY BEFORE WE EVEN START.

YEAH. AND BRANT, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO ANY PARTICULAR TROUBLE, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF FLOW LINE DECIDES TO COME BACK AND ASK FOR MORE FUNDING, I'D LIKE IT TO BE ON A FULL AGENDA AND NOT CONSENT BECAUSE I'D LIKE IT TO BE DISCUSSED IN FULL AND OPEN.

CERTAINLY. AND CHANGEOVERS ARE ALWAYS DISCRETIONARY.

YEAH. SO WHAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF A CHANGE ORDER? I MEAN, IF THEY'RE JUST SAYING, OH, WE UNDERBID IT, WHAT? OH, A CHANGE ORDER. A CHANGE ORDER MOST OFTEN IS SOMETHING THAT ONCE THEY UNCOVER OUT IN THE FIELD, ONCE WE GET GOING, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET PICKED UP ON DESIGN BECAUSE IT'S OFTEN UNDERGROUND, BUT A CHANGE IN SCOPE.

EXACTLY. THERE COULD BE STORM SEWER IN THE WAY OF A ALIGNMENT THAT WE SHOWED.

WE'VE GOT TO RELOCATE THAT STORM SEWER.

WE'VE GOT TO TAKE IT BACK TO WHEREVER WE HAVE TO IN ORDER TO GET ABOVE OR BELOW IT.

THAT WOULD BE A COMMON SOMETHING'S BURIED THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS THERE THAT WE'VE GOT TO REROUTE.

WE'VE GOT TO REALIGN A LARGE COST ON THIS PROJECT IS THIS IS 30 INCH WATER LINE PIPE THAT IS VERY EXPENSIVE WATERLINE PIPE AND TAKES A LONG TIME TO ALSO COME IN ONCE IT'S BEEN ORDERED.

SO THAT'S A HUGE COST ON THIS PROJECT IS JUST THE WATER LINE ITSELF.

THE MATERIAL COST IS REALLY HIGH.

YOU TALKED ABOUT BORING.

BORING IS ANOTHER HIGH COST.

THIS ONE ISN'T.

IT'S GOT BORING BETWEEN INTERSECTIONS.

I THINK AT MEDIAN OPENINGS IS HOW WE'VE BEEN DOING THESE PROJECTS.

SOME OF THEM I BELIEVE ARE OPEN CUT ALSO.

SO WE'VE GOT A COMBINATION OF BOTH.

THIS ONE I ALSO WOULD SAY HAS TRAFFIC CONTROL.

IT'S ON A MAJOR ROADWAY.

SO THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC CONTROL BUILT INTO THE PROJECT.

CHANGE ORDERS, THOUGH, FOR THE MOST PART, ARE USUALLY SOMETHING THAT WASN'T COULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOUND OR KNOWN ABOUT DURING THE DESIGN, OR SOMETIMES THEY ALSO CAN BE THINGS THAT WE GET OUT THERE AND REALIZE THAT WITH THIS CONTRACTOR ON SITE, IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T ORIGINALLY WANT TO DO.

MAYBE IT'S SOME EXTRA SIDEWALK WORK OR TAKE BACK A COUPLE OF EXTRA PANELS THAT WE WANTED.

THEY'RE IN BAD SHAPE, SO WE'RE GOING TO ADD THAT TO THE CONTRACT.

BUT THAT'S USUALLY IT. IT'S NOT FUNDING THAT THEY ASK FOR BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY UNDERBID ORIGINALLY ON THE PROJECT.

[01:20:03]

SO I DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT ON THIS PROJECT.

OKAY. THANK YOU. IS THAT EIGHT MONTH DELAY A FACTOR IN THIS BID LIKE THE THE OTHER THREE ARE READY TO GO RIGHT NOW, BUT BY WAITING EIGHT MONTHS, WE CAN GET BETTER PRICING.

NOW, THE EIGHT MONTH DELAY WOULD BE PRETTY MUCH ANY COMPANY UP THERE.

BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT CONTRACTORS FACTOR FACTOR THAT INTO THE PRICE.

AND SO I'VE BEEN TOLD BY CONTRACTORS IN THE PAST UNRELATED TO THIS PROJECT.

NO, IT'S JUST INTERESTING BECAUSE LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, IF THREE COMPANIES LOOKED AT THIS AND SAID THIS IS A $7.5 MILLION PROJECT AND SOMEBODY COMES IN WAY UNDER IT, IT MIGHT END UP BEING A $7.5 MILLION PROJECT.

AND TO CHRIS'S POINT, I WAS JUST TRYING TO SHARE SOMETHING THAT WE SEE IN THE INDUSTRY IN GENERAL GOING ON THAT THAT CONTRACTORS ARE DOING THIS AS A TACTIC TO WIN AND THEN THEY GO IN AND ASK FOR MORE MONEY AND THAT'S WHERE THEY MAKE THEIR MARGIN.

I WAS JUST SHARING THAT CONCERN, BEING IN THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING INDUSTRY AND I WOULD AGREE ON ON THE SPREAD LIKE THIS, THAT'S THE FIRST THING I'D SAY.

I'D SAY SOMEBODY FOUND OUT ABOUT FLOW LINE.

CALL THE ENGINEERING CONSULTING FIRM, FIND OUT WHERE THEY'RE BIDDING, WHAT THEY'RE BIDDING ON.

ARE THEY TOO BUSY OR THEY'RE NOT BUSY ENOUGH? ARE THE OTHERS BUSY? AND WE WE ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS SO WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT OUR SPREAD LOOKS LIKE AND WHY IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THAT TOO.

BUT WE TRY TO DO A GREAT JOB ON WHO WE PICK OR WHO WE THROW OUT BECAUSE WE'RE THE ONES THAT ARE STUCK WITH THEM FOR THE CONTRACT TOO, AND HAVING TO WORK WITH THEM.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED PIQUED MY MEMORY BECAUSE I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE AUTOMATED SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE THAT COINCIDES WITH THE PART OF THE ROAD.

HOW WILL THAT IMPACT OUR PILOT OR WILL WE BE DONE WITH THAT BY THE TIME THIS STARTS? YOU MEAN AS FAR AS WHILE THEY'RE DOING TRAFFIC CONTROL? IT SHOULDN'T BE BECAUSE THE WAY THAT WE DO LANE CLOSURES WILL BE DURING THE DAY.

THEY'LL DO CLOSURES.

SO THEY'RE IN BETWEEN SIGNALS FOR THE MOST PART, WHILE THEY'RE DOING THESE PROJECTS, THEY'RE IN SUCH A SMALL SECTION BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY WORKING ONLY WHERE THEY'RE EXCAVATING OR WHERE THEY'RE PLACING PIPE.

AND THEN THE HOPE IS BY THE END OF THE DAY, THEY GET THAT BUTTON BACK UP AND THEY CAN GET TRAFFIC BACK ON IT.

AND THEN THE BIGGEST DELAY IS GOING TO BE WHEN THEY POUR CONCRETE, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY HAVE TO HAVE A CURE TIME AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY CLOSED.

BUT WE'VE GOT ENOUGH LANES ALONG THIS THIS ROUTE THAT WE CAN CAN SHUT DOWN AND STILL GET TRAFFIC THROUGH WHEN WE DO HAVE LANE CLOSURES TO.

THANK YOU. COUNSEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF OR IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THANK YOU, MR. CROWN.

WITH THAT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

I WILL MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM K FIVE AS PRESENTED.

SECOND. ANY DELIBERATION ON THAT MOTION? THERESA. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

COUNCIL MEMBER. SCHIESTEL? AYE.

DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MARTIN.

AYE. MAYOR PRO TEM ENGEL AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. DREW AYE.

AND COUNCIL MEMBER TAYLOR.

AYE. ITEM NUMBER FIVE MORSE ROAD WATER LINE.

PHASE THREE PASSES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE.

[K6. CSP23-0003 - Flower Mound Cemetery Ground Sign - Public Hearing to consider a request for a Comprehensive Sign Package (CSP23-0003 – Flower Mound Cemetery Ground Sign) for Flower Mound Cemetery. The property is generally located south of Flower Mound Road and west of Strait Lane. (PZ recommended approval by a vote of 6 to 0 at its September 11, 2023, meeting.)]

MOVING ON TO ITEM SIX, GETTING TOWARDS THE END.

I'M OPENING C SP 23 0003 FLOWER MOUND CEMETERY GROUND SIGN.

AND GOOD EVENING, MS..

MURPHY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR.

COUNCIL. THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE SIGN PACKAGE REQUEST.

SO IT IS A SIGN PROPOSAL THAT DOESN'T MEET THE TOWN'S TYPICAL STANDARDS.

AND SO THEY'RE ABLE TO COME FORWARD TO PROPOSE STANDARDS SPECIFIC TO THEIR DEVELOPMENT FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION.

HERE IS THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE PROPERTY.

YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S A SOUTH OF FLOWER MOUND ROAD AND WEST OF GIRAUD.

HERE'S A MORE DETAILED VIEW.

SO THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPED WITH A CHURCH THERE IN THE CENTER OF THE PROPERTY AND THEN A CEMETERY TO THE RIGHT.

AND THERE WAS ORIGINALLY A NOT ORIGINALLY THERE WAS AT ONE POINT A SCHOOL THAT WAS ALSO OPERATING ON THIS PROPERTY.