The Berlin Council has unanimously approved another change order for the Heron Park demolition project, adding $73,200 to the initiative’s total cost.
Roughly $73,000 of additional demolition work along the grounds of the former poultry processing facility at Heron Park is pictured in a map provided within the Berlin council agenda packet.
Courtesy image
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Berlin Council unanimously approved the latest change order for the Heron Park demolition project, adding $73,200 to the initiative’s total cost. The adjustments primarily include clean-up measures at the site.
“This change order encompasses many areas as desired for clean-up,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said. “That is kind of it in a nutshell.”
The additional services include demolishing walls and bollards, which are short, vertical posts to divert traffic from a space in the designated areas within the site. Four spots have been identified for removal from behind a fence on the property. The areas are not visibly from Old Ocean City Boulevard and are located near the railroad tracks.
The contract, as proposed by vendor JNT Enterprises, has been increased by 45 days to allow proper time to complete the modifications. The demo project’s conclusion date has been pushed to Oct. 17.
Per the change order, the total cost of the initiative will increase from $359,054.68, which was raised from $246,339 for alterations approved in July, to $432,254. Bohlen maintained that the adjustments leave the town with $11,565 left over for the demolition from a grant received through the state.
“We will figure out how to spend the last few dollars,” she said.
Councilmember Jay Knerr questioned why an old shed on the site along the railroad was not included in the proposed demolition change order.
Andrew Welch of the contracted architectural firm Davis, Bowen, & Friedel said that upon a walkthrough, the developer, Palmer Gillis of Coastal Ventures Properties, who entered discussions with the town to purchase and rehabilitate Heron Park’s parcel 57, expressed an interest in keeping the structure.
Bohlen argued that the town remains the deciding voice even with an Extended Negotiation Period contract being drafted by attorney David Gaskill.
“It is still your project,” she said, addressing the council. “If you want it to come down, we can ask the contractor to draft a change order now.”
Welch said that because the building is timber, it would be easy to remove, taking no more than a day.
Mayor Zack Tyndall argued that since the completion date has been moved back to Oct. 17, the council has time to contemplate the shed’s future after further discussion.
“We have time to discuss it,” he said, “…it is not his wants; it is our wants that are structured with his…if there is an item here like this that he wants to keep, and it is not going to put us behind, that’s fine, but it is something still in the discussion phase.”
The group agreed to circle back to the structure at future meetings and work sessions.
Town Council Vice President Dean Burrell made a motion to approve the change order, which was seconded by Councilmember Jack Orris. The adjustments were passed unanimously by the governing body.