Site_Showing_Notes_Grabill_Road_9-16-19.pdf

Site Showing Notes

Grabill Road, Highland Co.

September 16th, 2019

NRCS staff present: Greg Wells, Adrean Evans, and Jeremiah McDowell

Note taker: Jeremiah McDowell

Meeting Start Time: 10:36am

Meeting location started at the top of the hill overlooking the project site.

Started with the reading of the site‐specific directions from the CO. Greg also went over the change in the scope magnitude going from $100k‐$250k to $25k‐$100k.

Question: Will there be an additional bid opening after this first round of bids, if for instance the first round of bids is not funded?

Answer: No, they will be opened and tallied once by the CO. These are quotes, not sealed bids, so there is no formal bid opening.

Greg continued with going through some of the site‐specific clauses in the bid packet.

Plan review:

1. OUPS Policy reviewed.

2. Benchmark descriptions and locations reviewed.

3. Baseline location and description reviewed.

4. Staging area location defined and explained.

5. Work limits described.

6. Layout points on the drawings were explained.

7. Typical sections were explained.

a. Gabion Basket pinning detail expanded to explain that bedrock isn’t anticipated to be found in the excavation area, but the detail is included in case it is. Pinning is only required if bedrock is found.

8. Tie‐backs on each end of the basket wall explained.

9. Drainfill requirements and sources explained.

Specifications outlined:

1. All debris removed and not deemed to be fit for earth fill must be removed from site.

Woody debris must be removed from the site.

2. All disturbed areas to be seeded and fertilized.

3. Subsidiary items were explained.

4. Demobilization and Mobilization:

a. Construction schedule is required. This can be submitted at the pre‐construction conference.

b. Traffic control should be minimal since it’s on a closed section of road. One end of closed section can be left open each day to facilitate equipment or material deliveries.

c. Township Trustee’s names and phone numbers can be provided to arrange for opening gates and other access questions.

5. Removal of Water

a. Dewatering is needed.

b. A written dewatering plan will be required.

c. Channel shaping to facilitate draining and minimal pumping will be allowed.

6. Excavation

a. Subsidiary items explained: earthfill, drainfill, placement

b. Drainfill shall be 57’s from an approved ODOT certified quarry.

c. The cuts and fills at the site were roughly balanced in the design stage, but bringing in offsite earthfill is likely. The source of the fill along with the fill itself will need to be approved before placed.

7. Drainfill explained: The drainfill required behind the baskets is Bid Item 3, and the drainfill on both ends of the job under the Rock Riprap (Bid Item 4) is subsidiary to the Rock Riprap.

8. Rip Rap shall be paid by the ton to the tenth of a ton.

9. Gabion Baskets

a. Shall be PVC coated

b. Assembly shall be inspected.

c. Can be assembled offsite, but Inspector shall have access to site to inspect assembly.

d. Basket lacing and fasteners were explained.

e. Gabions shall be filled with 4‐8 inch limestone rock. Details were outlined explaining the source of the rock that is expected and requirements of the source being ODOT certified.

f. If deemed necessary to pin baskets to bedrock subgrade, shall be done with 1” pins in 1” holes. Drilling oversized holes won’t be accepted.

10. Quality Control

a. The winning contractor shall have a representative in charge of Quality Control.

b. Quality control is subsidiary Mobilization and Demobilization.

11. There are five total bid items.

a. Two items paid as “by job.”

b. Two items paid as volume in Cubic Yards.

c. One item paid as volume in Tons.

At 11:10am, the group walked down the road and through the staging area to continue.

Ingress/Egress off of Grabill Road explained.

1. There is a 12‐15” DBH Ash tree on the eastern side of the gate opening that the landowner has allowed to be removed, if needed.

2. The landowner has also allowed for his gate posts and fence to be removed for better access, although these need to be replaced to original condition by the contractor at the end of the job..

3. Landowner will remove brush pile located in the staging area before construction starts.

The site of the gabion baskets was observed from creek level looking upstream.

1. NRCS understands equipment will need to be in creek channel for this project.

2. The trees to be removed at the creek level were pointed out.

3. The location of the gabion basket tie‐backs on each end of the job were pointed out.

Contractor question: Can we use Ohio Asphaltic Quarry?

Answer: Any quarry approved by ODOT for use of Type ‘D’ riprap or #1 limestone would be allowed. If any bidder needs help going through the process of checking on a particular quarry on the ODOT website, NRCS can walk you through this over the telephone. Here is the link to the ODOT site: http://www.odotonline.org/cmsportal/

Greg Wells discussed that an email question had been received about using welded wire baskets instead of the specified woven wire baskets. Greg discussed that it has been Ohio NRCS’s experience on past jobs that woven wire baskets have superior performance as far as forming a curved layout like we have at this site and they conform better to irregular site conditions, etc. Therefore, Ohio NRCS specified woven wire baskets for this site.

The access through the old barbed wire fence was talked about. Basically, clearing an opening for equipment is allowable although the opening should be small as practical.

Questions:

1. Can we shape the channel to minimize the need for a pump to dewater?

Answer: Yes, as talked about, grading the channel to facilitate dewatering is allowable.

2. Are sediment dams required?

Answer: If the rains come and raise the water to a point that pumping is required, then yes, they will be required.

3. What is the weight limit on the bridge east of the project site on Grabill Road?

Answer: We will have to contact the County Engineer to find out, and will provide this information in the site showing notes which will be posted to the solicitation.

4. Will the guard rail along the road need to be removed and put back in place?

Answer: Repair work to road surfaces and guard rail are not part of the EWP program.

Therefore, this contract does not have anything to do with repairing the guard rail.

Liberty Township Trustee – Jerry Williams was present that the existing guardrail is likely compromised. It is fine to remove guardrail during construction and the Trustees would replace it with new guardrail after the construction is complete.

5. Does the contractor need to secure any permits for this work?

Answer: No, permits have already been taken care of. The site of disturbance should be less one acre, so no NPDES permit is needed by contractor.

Meeting concluded at 11:24 am.

Note taker, Jeremiah McDowell