Sewer plant
expansion
delayed again

The closer the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority gets to completing the $48 million expansion and upgrade of its sewer plant on the Shrewsbury River in Monmouth Beach, the more elusive the closing date seems to become.

In a report to the authority’s board at its July 7 meeting, Jeanette M. Hornsby, construction manager for Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., project consulting engineers, said the substantial completion date is now expected to be Aug. 2, which is a 502-calendar day delay from the contracted date. That is up from last month’s 465-calendar day delay projection.

The contract mandated the substantial completion date was March 17, 2003, and the contract mandated the final completion date was July 15, 2003.

"The delay in time is attributable to less than anticipated progress in spare parts turnover for the Belt Filter Press, which cannot be determined until the Belt Filter press is tested," Hornsby said in her report.

Hornsby observed that the authority began last year withholding liquidated damages and extended engineering, inspection and consultant costs in response to the delays, and noted that PKF, the contractor, responded that it was late on the project due to delays beyond its control.

All parties subsequently entered into arbitration, which is still under way, and the withholding of liquidated damages by the authority was stopped.

Hornsby’s report said PKF had completed work in the amount of $41,145,409 as of May 14, 2004, and the work payment due to PKF this month is $114,753. Inclusive of this month’s payment, she said, the percentage of work completed to date is 99.27 percent.

— Sherry Conohan