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<\/p>\nThe 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not the full story.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s not including the loss of another $1.8 million federal grant the city lost and can\u2019t get back.<\/p>\n
City Councilwoman Solange Whitehead said the those numbers were due to the city by Dec. 22, but she couldn\u2019t get them when she asked staff for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe staff has no idea,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know. The numbers are due on the 22nd, but staff is having to rewrite this whole contract. They can\u2019t do it. They don\u2019t know what the costs of this (intersection) are.\u201d<\/p>\n
She attributed the situation on the staff being overworked as she said employees are leaving the city.<\/p>\n
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Holly Peralta, a spokeswoman for the city administration, said there never was a Dec. 22 deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the case,\u201d she wrote in an email to the Daily Independent.<\/p>\n
A public records request by the Daily Independent on Dec. 29 did not produce any numbers by Dec. 31.<\/p>\n
City Councilman Barry Graham said he had not heard of a Dec. 22 deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u201dm not saying she\u2019s wrong, but I had not heard that,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cI spoke to the city engineer (Alison Tymkiw) three days ago … and she said the cost isn\u2019t the issue. There\u2019s not going to be any penalties or fees. Right now they are just working out the timeline. There might be some delays.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Councilwoman Maryann McAllen said \u201cI don\u2019t know what the date is (to report costs), but I will tell you as chairman of the audit committee, I\u2019m going to ask that specific project be audited … We\u2019re going to prove there was a lot of waste in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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J. Graber
News Editor | Scottsdale<\/p>\n