JACKSON– Work on the Milwaukee EMS Substation is moving along, but it comes with a price.

Recently, the Northampton County Board of Commissioners, in a 4-1 vote, approved a $10,080 change order for the project. The funds will come from contingency.

Public Works Director Jason Morris presented the board with information regarding the change order.

Morris said the contractor, CAB Construction, was already working on the building pad when poor sub grade was discovered on the site.

“We had to do additional measures to secure the building pad, and this is basically a change order on CAB Construction’s part,” he said.

Commissioner Joe Barrett questioned if the compaction rate was checked prior to constructing the building pad.

Morris said there was one conducted prior.

“We knew some area was bad on the site,” Morris said. “We went through a variance with the county to have the building moved forward due to that and to have room for a septic system.”

Morris said additional work was done in hopes of securing the sub grade, but that work failed.

After further discussion, County Manager Wayne Jenkins said it’s not an uncommon situation and the Northampton County Cultural and Wellness Center had run into the same problem.

In order to correct the problem, the existing sub grade had to be removed, the area then lined with geotextile fabric, ballast stone filled in the excavated area and compacted, covered with more geotextile and the building pad re-constructed on top.

The commissioners approved the measure in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Chester Deloatch voicing opposition.

In June, the board approved the $140,000 project, which included $80,000 coming from the county’s E-911 fund and $60,000 coming from reprogrammed money.