Crushed and pulverized rock will create a base on which Oconto County’s new law enforcement center will be built, the committees overseeing the project decided Wednesday.
Soil borings showed unsuitable soil in the area north of the courthouse in Oconto where the facility will be constructed, prompting the county’s public property and law enforcement/judiciary committees to debate which underground foundation to use. They considered steel pilings or a Geopier impact system, a ground improvement process in which gravel and stone are packed with the soil.
Construction of the LEC, which will include jail housing for up to 175 inmates, a sheriff’s administration area and 911 center, is scheduled to begin July 24 and be completed by Jan. 30, 2017.
According to Kurt Berner, a consultant with The Samuels Group, pilings were estimated to cost $1.4 million to $1.5 million. In comparison, the rammed aggregate system was anticipated at slightly more than $700,000.
Ted Rockwell, former county maintenance engineer, said steel pilings were a better solution for a sturdy base because of the boggy soil in Oconto.
“To pack rock in a hole when you’ve got mud on both sides, it just don’t make any sense,” Rockwell said.
Supervisor Bill Grady also preferred pilings.
“We designed a nice building here. Now is the most important part of the project — what it’s going to be set on,” he said. “I’m still in favor of steel. I think we maybe could go back to the drawing board and find $500,000 to … go with steel.”
“If you don’t put this on steel pilings, the taxpayers surely will have something to say about it,” Rockwell said.
Berner used a different approach to the taxpayer argument, saying the county needed decide if spending $750,000 or $1 million more for pilings was a responsible use of taxpayer funds.
Last month, the committees learned the LEC project surpassed the budgeted $30 million by $475,700, causing the county to label some design aspects as alternatives before sending the project out to bid. Some of the overrun is attributed to the unsuitable soil at the site.
Berner said the ground improvement system would not be used under the entire building. Instead, it would be used to stabilize the soil where the bearing walls are to be placed and also in a grid system under the LEC.
Project engineers recommended the system, estimating aggregate would be placed 12 to 16 feet deep, although design plans are not yet finalized. Berner said the system has been in use for 25 years in places with soil similar to Oconto’s, without a failure.
“If I wasn’t confident in the system, I wouldn’t bring it to you,” he said.
Driven pilings can rust and deteriorate, while the organic matter in rammed aggregate systems does not, he said.
Supervisor Paul Bednarik recommended the county use the aggregate solution, saying it’s time to adapt to new technology.
“I’m not saying that is the perfect solution, but I’m also not saying pilings are the perfect solution,” he said.
Administrative Coordinator Kevin Hamann encouraged the committee to trust the consultant’s recommendation.
“If this committee wants to trust our former maintenance engineer instead of the experts in the field, I’ve got a problem with that,” he said.
In a voice vote, Grady was the only committee member to vote against the Geopier impact system.
The bid documents, which are scheduled to go to out June 19, will specify the rammed aggregate system instead of pilings.
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