The Westfield Board of Public Works approved one bid and several change orders on city projects at its Oct. 30 meeting:
Grand Park Boulevard extension – Rieth-Riley Construction had the lowest bid of $2,336,745.98. The project consists of extending the roadway from the 186th Street roundabout to the Wheeler Road roundabout. Public Works Director Ken Alexander said one alternate was to provide the storm water pipe necessary to support the imperviousness and necessary drainage for the road.
The second option was provided as an up-charge to the landowner to pay which would support extended development other than what currently exists or is in a planning stage. Alexander said this was approximately a $75,000 charge that was subsequently turned down by the landowner. “When they are ready to develop this area surrounding the road, they will have to tear it out and replace with a larger pipe at their expense,” he said. “This was an opportunity to show that government can work with the private sector to provide cost-effective partnerships to support growth without any additional cost to the taxpayers. While it didn’t work here, we will continue to do this to best support our community by proving the best options possible.”
Estimated completion is July.
North Union Street change orders – Eight change orders were made to the construction project on North Union Street totaling $43,456.31. Officials said 85 percent of them were for poor soil conditions and the other 15 percent were for utilities. The change orders included:
Common excavation – $2,312.50
Relocate fire hydrant – $1,655
12-inch concrete pipe and engineering – $2,155
Pavement removal – $7,769.71
Flowable fill – $1,960
Subgrade treatment – $7,203.60
Clearing and water main – $1,133 (credit)
Geogrid and compacted aggregate – $21,533.50
Public safety reports
• The Westfield Police Dept. had 910 calls for service in September (the second highest of any month this year), including 30 for theft, 19 for assault and five for burglary. Westfield police made 59 arrests – 85 for misdemeanor charges, seven were felony charges and 24 were alcohol-or drug-related. On the traffic side, WPD issued 548 citations and 862 written warnings. September had 57 traffic accidents: 40 property damage, 11 personal injury and six hit-and-runs.
• The Westfield Fire Dept. responded to 187 incidents in September – the third fewest of any month in 2014. Of the 187 incidents, 107 were fire-related (with two building fires totaling $55,000 in estimated damages) and 80 were medical-related. Officials said 158 incidents (84.5 percent) were inside city limits, 12 (6.5 percent) were inside the township and 17 (9 percent) were outside of Westfield assisting other agencies. As of Sept. 30, the department has responded to 1,789 calls.
