City approves $265,000 Broadway Street settlement
By Katherine R. Dougan
On November 16, City Attorney Will Purdie brought a $265,000 settlement offer to the Board of Aldermen for damages to Broadway Street caused when a contractor struck a water line and collapsed a road in 2017.
“This settlement is a result of mediation between us and the defendants in this matter,” Purdie explained to the Board.
Ward 4 Alderman Chip Wilbanks commended Purdie for working on the case and bringing it up to a settlement before the Board. The Board voted 6-0 to approve accepting the settlement.
Former City Attorney Chelsea Brannon previously worked with AT&T and their contractor to recoup costs associated with the repairs. The water main break caused by the contractor resulted in a significant amount of water released, which saturated subsurface soils and required removal and replacement of wet soil with dry soil.
Birdsong Construction, who was contracted to repair the damages caused by the AT&T contractor in 2017, had a delay in the repair process in August 2017 because of the unusually wet weather, which made it difficult to source dry fill materials for a secure roadbed base. Materials were removed and taken to an offsite facility to mix with lime for drying. Soil was then returned to the site for compaction.
Initial plans were for paving to begin the week of September 18, 2017; however, a heavy rainstorm delayed the paving, requiring the contractor to wait for the area to dry before continuing the project.
The costs in the settlement include expenses for road repair as well as police and public works department overtime.
