A Neighbor Questions Oro Valley Expenditure

In his letter in the Sept 18 Explorer, Mr. Kunasz questions the way OV spends our money.


175,000 contract overrun appalling in Oro Valley

I was appalled to read the Sept. 12 article in the EXPLORER on the contract award of $491,979 to K.A.Z. Construction.

The overrun of $175,000 is 55 percent over the original estimate! In engineering estimates, preliminary estimates are calculated to within 25 percent, and then refined to within 15 percent, and finally to a 5-percent final accuracy.

It does not appear that the Oro Valley town engineer did his homework. If the cost of building materials is the culprit, and we know this is an issue these days, was he not aware of this commonly known variable when he reviewed the original bid?

I would strongly recommend that any future bid submitted to Oro Valley be reviewed by an independent consultant. This will greatly benefit the town and cost far less than $175,000!

Ihor A. Kunasz,
retired geologist,
Oro Valley