The entire cost to switch improvements to the intersection at Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Boulevard from a roundabout to a signalized intersection is still not known more than seven months after the Scottsdale City Council voted 4-3 to make the change.
The city forfeited a $29.29 million federal grant for a larger road improvement project that included the intersection improvements when the switch to a signalized intersection was made, but the Maricopa Association of Governments ultimately voted on Nov. 3 to make up that money with regional Proposition 400 sales tax funding with no penalties for the change.
But that’s not the full story.
Uncovered costs for the intersection project could include the need to purchase additional rights of way, cost of relocating utilities, costs of additional materials that were ordered, penalties for canceling sub-consulting contracts, the cost of redesign and charges for contract changes. The last one could reach up to $1.5 million by itself.
And that’s not including the loss of another $1.8 million federal grant the city lost and can’t get back.
City Councilwoman Solange Whitehead said the those numbers were due to the city by Dec. 22, but she couldn’t get them when she asked staff for them.
“The staff has no idea,” Whitehead said. “They don’t know. The numbers are due on the 22nd, but staff is having to rewrite this whole contract. They can’t do it. They don’t know what the costs of this (intersection) are.”
She attributed the situation on the staff being overworked as she said employees are leaving the city.
Holly Peralta, a spokeswoman for the city administration, said there never was a Dec. 22 deadline.
“That’s not the case,” she wrote in an email to the Daily Independent.
A public records request by the Daily Independent on Dec. 29 did not produce any numbers by Dec. 31.
City Councilman Barry Graham said he had not heard of a Dec. 22 deadline.
“I”m not saying she’s wrong, but I had not heard that,” Graham said.
He added, “I spoke to the city engineer (Alison Tymkiw) three days ago … and she said the cost isn’t the issue. There’s not going to be any penalties or fees. Right now they are just working out the timeline. There might be some delays.”
City Councilwoman Maryann McAllen said “I don’t know what the date is (to report costs), but I will tell you as chairman of the audit committee, I’m going to ask that specific project be audited … We’re going to prove there was a lot of waste in that.”
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J. Graber
News Editor | Scottsdale
Meet J.
Graber joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in February 2023, starting his career as a staff writer covering the City of Scottsdale and was named news editor of the Scottsdale Independent in 2024.
Community: He serves on the alter guild as well as being an usher at St. Mathews Episcopal Church in Chandler.
Education: He earned his BA in creative writing with a minor in journalism from the University of Arizona. He then earned an MS in Mass Communications from the University of Oregon.
Random Fact: He enjoys reading novels by Russian authors.
Hobbies: Playing classical guitar, reading, fishing, going to the gym, watching sports and spending time with his family.
Keywords
Scottsdale,
Roundabout,
Solange Whitehead,
Maryann McAllen,
Barry Graham