SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Morgan Falls Connector, one of the first installments of the Sandy Springs Master Trail Plan, has hit a few snags, or rocks to be specific.
At the March 19 City Council meeting, city officials discussed a fourth change order related to 2A Trail, a 1.88-mile segment that runs over Orkin Lake.
When completed, the 2A Trail will connect Morgan Falls Overlook Park on the Chattahoochee River to Roswell Road at Cimarron Parkway.
Recreation and Parks Director Brent Walker said contractors encountered issues during the drilling process for the 2,933-foot-long boardwalk last July.
“These conditions continue to be prevalent and have slowed the construction,” Walker said. “To help address the issues of the boardwalk drilling depth, contractors deployed the use of specialized drilling attachments and pumps to lower the lake level.”
City officials approved a $7.8 million bid from Newnan-based JHC Corporation when the project broke ground in November 2022.
After Sandy Springs received a $3 million grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the city was required to cover remaining construction costs.
The first three change orders added just over $525,000 to the original contract.
The fourth change order, around $550,000, brings the cost of the project to $8.8 million.
Outside of drilling for the boardwalk, the change order includes funding for a parking lot at the Morgan Falls Dog Park and the removal of unsuitable soil.
Mayor Rusty Paul asked Walker if the contractor is making reasonable progress drilling through the rock formation beneath the surface of Lake Orkin.
“They created a new drill attachment for this project that acts like a rock hammer…which necessitates the lake being pumped down,” Walker said. “There are a lot of weather issues that we’ve run into over the past few…
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