Portsmouth City Council is being asked to approve an emergency ordinance for another $344,110.80 tied to the city’s riverfront project at Monday’s meeting.
The money would go to Allard Excavation, LLC, the contractor already working on major portions of the riverfront improvements.
The ordinance is scheduled for a first reading and asks council to move quickly by declaring it an emergency.
City officials say the separate riverfront roadway grant needs to be billed apart from the larger riverfront project in order to free up money for the main project and help cover cost increases.
In plain language: the city wants to use this additional grant money now so the larger riverfront project does not get bogged down by rising costs, delays, or contractor conflicts.
According to the ordinance, the grant application for this roadway work was submitted before the city received the larger riverfront grant. The ordinance says Lawrence County would not allow matching grants, so this portion of the project has to be handled separately.
The city also says the roadway grant is needed to offset cost increases paid to Allard Excavation because of expedited labor and overtime.
The emergency language says it would be nearly impossible to bring in another contractor at this stage because Allard is already on site and already handling related riverfront work.
Officials say using Allard avoids the cost of bringing in another company, keeps equipment already in place, and reduces safety and scheduling problems in an active construction zone.
The ordinance also warns that this portion of the roadway work connects one side of the riverfront to the other. If construction has to pause while the city waits on this phase, access to the riverfront could be cut off until the work is finished.
The legislation asks council to authorize the city manager to enter into the contract without competitive bidding. The ordinance says going through the bidding process now would add unnecessary costs and delays.
The separate roadway portion has a completion date of April 30, 2027.
The larger riverfront improvement project has a deadline of November 2026, while the boat launch and dock projects have a deadline of June 2027.
Portsmouth’s riverfront development is part of a major improvement effort funded by a $34 million state grant.
If council passes the ordinance as an emergency, it would take effect immediately after approval.