Buried Coal Chute Adds $142K to Casper Alley Job
Contractors on municipal projects should expect change orders when undisclosed underground conditions halt or reshape work.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Construction
The Casper City Council on Tuesday, November 4, 2026, approved Change Order No. 2 with Falcon Construction for downtown alley work, adding $142,275 and seven calendar days to the project. The council also approved a perpetual license agreement with Center Street Holdings allowing solar alley lighting on a downtown facade.
Why it matters
The change order was triggered by an unexpected underground coal chute beneath a downtown alley, which made the work more costly and time-consuming for contractors on municipal infrastructure. The reinforcement is meant to secure the adjacent building foundation and keep the alley safe for heavy traffic, including city sanitation vehicles.
The change order adds $142,275, raising the Falcon Construction contract from $281,400 to $423,675, a roughly 51% increase over the original price. The project completion deadline is extended by seven calendar days to Nov. 6.
The players
Falcon Construction
A contractor performing the downtown alley work under the city contract, now responsible for the subsurface void remediation and reinforcement.
Center Street Holdings
The property owner that entered a perpetual license agreement with the city for solar alley lighting on its downtown facade.
Casper City Council
The Casper municipal governing body that approved the change order and the lighting license agreement.
The details
An underground coal chute extending beneath the alley right of way from the basement of the Cadillac Cowgirl at 147 South Center St. was found to be a non-reinforced void that encroached into the alley pathway. Because the void cannot support heavy modern traffic, Falcon Construction will backfill and compact it, build a reinforced concrete structural wall with footers, and install lateral support deadman anchors. Separately, the city will operate and maintain two 12-watt, 1,000-lumen solar lighting fixtures placed on the Cadillac Cowgirl facade under the perpetual license agreement as a downtown beautification measure.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 4, 2026: Council approves Change Order No. 2 and the lighting license agreement.
Nov. 6, 2026: Extended final project completion deadline.
Market Landscape
Mid-project change orders for unexpected site conditions are a routine feature of municipal construction contracts, and this adjustment follows that pattern. The added cost and time show how a single discovered void can reshape a downtown infrastructure job.
Contractors bidding on municipal projects should price in the risk of unforeseen subsurface conditions and the schedule impact of remediation. Operators in the construction trades should review change order terms and time-extension provisions before committing to fixed-price municipal work.
The takeaway
Construction operators working with municipalities should confirm how change orders for unforeseen site conditions are handled and track any schedule extensions against their own cash flow. Review the Nov. 6, 2026 deadline and the revised contract total before planning crew and material commitments.
What happens next
The extended final project completion deadline of Nov. 6, 2026 is the next milestone for the Falcon Construction alley work.
Further reading
For more on how contract changes like this play out on local projects, see the Construction section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Oil City News.
