By MIKE ANTHONY

Executive Editor

Two change orders totaling more than $8,900 for a new police station recently were approved by the Crestwood Board of Aldermen.

One change order resulted from reducing the size of the new police building to 29,000 square feet from 30,340 square feet, while the second change order involved reworking the design of the parking lot between City Hall and the new police station.

Construction of the new police station, which is estimated at $7.5 million, is scheduled to begin early next year.

Board members voted 7-1 last week to approve a change order totaling $3,640 for Horner & Shifrin, the building’s architectural consultant, and Horner & Shifrin’s subconsultant, Redstone Architects.

Ward 3 Alderman Don Maddox was op-posed, contending that in light of Horner & Shifrin’s $844,000 contract with the city, the request for an additional $3,640 was “nickel and diming” the city.

Board members voted unanimously to approve a change order totaling $5,272 for Horner & Shifrin to redesign the parking lot.

In a memorandum to the board, City Ad-ministrator Don Greer, who also serves as police chief, wrote that after the first schematic design review meeting with Horner & Shifrin and Redstone Architects, he directed them to reduce the size of the police building.

“This change coming in the midst of the design process caused Redstone Arch-itects to substantially rework their sche-matic plan,” Greer wrote. “These revisions, as described in the attached information, were necessary because the scope of the work changed.”

During a discussion of the change order, Maddox said he was opposed to paying the $3,640 for the work.

“… They have a contract for $844,000,” Maddox said. “We haven’t seen a schematic yet at all, at least at our level, and for changing a schematic for 1,340 square feet, is what Horner & Shifrin says, they’re nickel and diming us for $3,640?”

Greer said, “The schematic will be, consistent with the calendar that we went through quite some time ago, and shows up I think on the first meeting of May for your initial review and at that time Red-stone will be here.

“The original request was a little bit higher than this. It really relates to us changing the scope of what was required. They had to do quite a bit of redesign work that they hadn’t anticipated when we we made the decision or when the board made the decision to move the court into the building. That was not originally anticipated in the project and their overall contract has to do with hours and hourly rates and people doing the work,” he added.

Maddox said, “I just object. I just think that that’s beyond the pail, OK? I mean their contract’s almost a million dollars and they want to be paid an extra thirty-six hundred for doing something that I believe probably’s pretty minimal as far as time and effort, but that’s my comment.”

Maddox later cast the dissenting vote on approving the change order.

During a discussion of the change order for the redesign of the parking lot, Ward 3 Alderman “Bernie” Alexander said, “… On the parking lot design, I agree that I like the design better that’s in the schematic, but what is that going to do in terms of additional cost to the building of the facility because isn’t the parking lot part of the money that is going into, wasn’t that included in the COPs (certificates of participation), I guess I should say.”

The police station and improvements to City Hall are being funded through the sale of $9.83 million in bond-like certificates of participation.

Greer replied, “A portion of the im-provements, yes. We’re trying to approach that from the value that the TDD (transportation development district) presents at the corner of Sappington and Watson. Parking lots are one of the big areas and primary purposes for a TDD. We’ve really kind of taken a look at capitalizing on the opportunity to do the kinds of changes that really need to be done and not just the minimal changes that would have to have been accomplished to present itself for the police building.”

Referring to an April 9 letter from Horner & Shifrin, Alexander wanted to make the cost included the actual design work for the changes to the parking lot, and the board approved the change order contingent on that clarification.