DENHAM SPRINGS, La. — The Denham Springs City Council shared a special update during their meeting Tuesday, March 10th, on the city's free smoke alarm installation program available to Denham Springs residents.
According to Mayor Gerard Landry, 111 smoke detectors have been installed in 29 homes, with an additional 40 specialized detectors installed in the past week for individuals who are hearing-impaired. Smoke alarms for hearing-impaired residents are available upon request when applying for the free service.
Following that update, the meeting continued with discussions on upcoming street closures and business change orders.
On Saturday, April 25th, the Denham Springs Antique Village Spring Festival will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. To maintain order and ensure the safety of attendees, council members discussed closing several nearby streets, including N. Range Ave. from Sullivan to Centerville, Mattie St. from N. Range Ave. to Benton St., and Railroad Ave. from Hummel St. to Benton St. Additionally, Rose St. from N. Range Ave. to Benton St. will be closed beginning Friday, April 24th at 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. the following day. The council voted unanimously to approve the closures.
The council then heard two change orders, one added by Mayor Landry at the start of the meeting, and voted on both.
The first change order, in the amount of $171,706.98, is awarded to Feliciana Welders for construction on the Old Hammond Highway Segment 2. The order stems from the revival of a years-long project that stalled after a citizen sued the city of Baton Rouge for carrying out construction without proper legal permissions. Partway through the work, all pipeline welding progress had to be undone, and the polyethylene pipe pieces were returned to storage.
The original projected cost sat at roughly $700,000 three years ago. When the pipe was removed, the city covered the unexpected costs, estimated at $10,000, and, according to the professional of record, "there's a reasonable expectation that they will reimburse us [again] because there's certainly no fault of our contractor and no fault for the city for the delays." Now, with a 24% increase in cost on the uncompleted work and the proper paperwork in hand, construction can resume with Feliciana Welders.
The second change order, in the amount of $56,219, addresses several issues with the Traveling Bridge Sand Filter Rehab 2025 project. Due to unforeseen complications, sand infiltrated a hard-to-reach space beneath installed trays designed to contain it, causing disruptions to wastewater treatment until the sand was removed. The project's previously installed pump also failed to produce enough force to properly clean the sand in use. Of the change order total, $31,000 will go toward a new, higher-powered pump, with the remainder covering electrical work, the sand gap fix, and other smaller issues. A $1,500 deduction from the parts supplier reduced the overall estimate slightly. The council voted unanimously to approve both change orders.
The council also approved a payment of $59,867.71 to L. King Company for the Traveling Bridge Sand Filter Rehab project, covering two major pieces of equipment, including several filters and a grit removal system.
In other business, the council unanimously approved the sale of surplus units from the Denham Springs Police Department, including one 2015 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and two 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Mayor Landry was also authorized to enter into a contract with Alvin Fairburn & Associates regarding the Stormwater Management Program, primarily to formalize an existing payment process for program reporting.
Finally, the council awarded M & J Construction LLC, the lowest responsible bidder, a construction contract for the upcoming Centerville Waterline Project, with a low bid of $265,498.00.
