(La Porte County, IN) - Work on the flood-damaged La Porte County Complex will resume soon after having been shut down five weeks ago to allow time for receiving bids on work added to the project. The work involves replacing old water pipes and other existing infrastructure in the building, such as ductwork.

 

In most cases, the bids opened today were substantially higher than the original estimates from several months ago.

 

La Porte County Commissioner Connie Gramarossa said during today’s meeting there’s no way out from paying the higher cost.

 

“We can’t go back and ask them to hold the prices before we send it out to bid so now it is going to cost the taxpayers a lot more money,” she said.

 

The commissioners approved the bids.

 

The items added to the project were not directly damaged resulting a water line bursting late last year.  However, officials said those items should be replaced now since they’re exposed from the water-logged interior walls being taken down. The cost of that work would be much higher if done after the new walls go up.

 

The work came in at hundreds of thousands of dollars higher than originally estimated, but delaying the project further to receive new bids was considered out of the question with the project five weeks behind schedule.

 

County Council Attorney Guy Di Martino said it’s possible the actual cost once the dust clears might come in less than the estimates, which he believes were not to exceed amounts.

 

“Your job is going to be on the project manager to whip these people into shape, make sure they’re not lollygagging, and, hopefully, their times and materials are going to come in way under what they submitted their bid for,” he said.

 

He also said the insurance company will likely not pay the entire cost of the added work but hopes a substantial amount of it will be covered.  

 

Di Martino added that the work could even resume before the end of the week because the contractors are ready to go.