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Settlement gets county chunk of $111,570
Money spent as part of train station project Settlement gets county chunk of $111,570 BY DAN NEPHIN, Staff Writer
Lancaster County will be reimbursed the $111,570 it spent on an unnecessary piece of equipment for the Lancaster Amtrak station renovation, under a settlement reached with the project architect and a subcontractor.
As part of the improvements, the Lancaster County Transportation Authority, which is overseeing some of the renovations, approved a cooler for a diesel pump that was part of the fire sprinkler system upgrade.
The decision to install the cooler was based on recommendations from architect Cooper Carry Inc. and subcontractor Dewberry Engineers that it was needed, said James Cowhey, executive director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
But when the pump's manufacturer came to test the system about a year ago, its representatives said they wouldn't warranty the pump because the unneeded cooler had been installed, Cowhey said.
The county negotiated with Cooper Carry and Dewberry to remove the cooler and fully pay the cost of the cooler, its installation and removal, said Crystal Clark, the county's solicitor.
The county commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved the settlement with Cooper Carry.
The recovered money will be divided among the federal, state and county governments, Cowhey said. Those entities were responsible for $14.2 million worth of upgrades to the station's "guts" -- plumbing, wiring, a new roof, sprinklers and gutting the basement to accommodate locker spaces for Amtrak employees.
The exact amount the county will get from the settlement wasn't immediately clear.
The settlement "gets us out of the Amtrak station business as a county," Commissioner Dennis Stuckey said. "It was quite an arduous, winding and twisting road to get to this point."
Amtrak is working on the "Capstone" portion of the project, which includes plastering and painting the interior.
"We encourage Amtrak to complete their part ... because that is what the public sees," Stuckey said.
In other business, the commissioners approved an agreement for $194,645, plus expenses, with Rettew Associates for engineering and related work for the planned replacement of the county-owned Osceola Mill Road bridge in Leacock and Paradise townships.
The bridge is at the top of the county's bridge-replacement list. Construction of a new bridge is expected in 2014 or 2015.
dnephin@lnpnews.com
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