Roadwork on Brookway Boulevard, though close to completion, is going to get worse before it’s all over, according to the city engineer.

Mike McKenzie, of WGK Engineering, updated the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen during its meeting Aug. 4 on current projects in the city.

The repaving project on Brookway Boulevard is moving along smoothly, with the sidewalk and driveway replacement work done. McKenzie said as of Wednesday it looks like it will be the end of August or early September when the milling will start, and “that’s when all the real headache will begin.”

“It’ll go real quick in the grand scheme of things,” McKenzie said, “but it’s going to be a pretty good disturbance to your normal everyday Brookway traffic.”

Dickerson & Bowen pavement contracting company will do the milling and repaving, and McKenzie said they estimate it should take two weeks to complete. The project is estimated to cost $566,000.

McKenzie also addressed the board about a change order to a current sewer project that added $46,268 to the roughly $500,000 endeavor. The project is considered a Special Appropriations Project through the Environmental Protection Agency and therefore is funded 55/45 by a grant through federal EPA funds. It includes sewer rehabilitation work being done off of Highway 51 at Woodland Hill Drive, Pine Hill Drive, Bay Street and Charles Street.

McKenzie said the job was bid under the assumption they would have MDOT’s approval to “open cut” (cut the road to get to the pipe below) four streets. McKenzie said it ended up that they did not have MDOT approval and would have to continue with the project in that area with another, slightly costlier, method that does not involve digging up the road.

The city could approve to cover the cost of the change order, or reduce the extent of the project some to offset the change without spending more money.

“I would really hate to see us shorten it because there have been so many problems here for so long,” Alderman Ward 4 Shirley Estes said. “It took almost an act of Congress to get it to this point. I’d hate to see us cut it.”

“I agree,” said Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox. “I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any of the other projects to try to save the 40-some-odd thousand dollars here. That we would […] amend the budget
to account for this $46,000 and include it and then not save the money on the back end, that’s my take on it.”

The board moved to amend the budget for the project to include the cost of the change order.

In other business, the board moved to:

• Accept the resignation of Shane Duvall from the Police Department.

• Approve the lower quote of Greenbriar in the amount of $7,200 to remove and replace a manhole at North Whitworth Avenue and West Congress Street. The other quote was from Delta Constructors, Inc. in the amount of $8,300.

• Approve to set and advertise a public hearing on Aug. 25 for the 2015/2016 budget.

• Approve Chief Tony Weeks to attend the Fire Chief II Class at the State Fire Academy.

• Approve Shane Hannah to attend the Rope Rescue I Class at the State Fire Academy on Aug. 17 -20. Cost of the class is $68 and the city is to pay registration and expenses.

• Approve Lance Lewis, Temarcus Lewis and Michael Byrd to attend the Driver/Operator class at the State Fire Academy Aug. 24-Sept. 3. The cost of the class is $655 each, and the city is to pay registration and expenses incurred.