The Lycoming County commissioners approved a $5,373,066 contract with R & L Development Company to develop field 12 at the landfill during their meeting Tuesday morning.

R & L was the lowest compliant bidder on the project, with a second company offering to do the work for over $9 million.

With the only other bid being nearly twice the price, one of the commissioners’ questions was whether R & L could “recover” costs through change orders, or contract amendments borne of presumably necessary changes that would affect the overall cost.

“I think it’s putting light on something that’s not really an issue,” Yorks answered. “Before any company’s going to seek payment on any project for actual work, we have to go through a review process. When you get to something above and beyond as a change order would require, there’s going to be an extreme amount of scrutiny that goes into it.”

Every requested change order also needs to be approved by the commissioners, he added.

The higher bid was “extreme” when it came to earth work pricing, so it’s unlikely that R & L underestimated costs with intent to make more money with change orders later, Yorks said.

Yorks estimates construction will begin in June, with R & L moving equipment in and preparing the site near the end of May.

In another matter, the commissioners will consider approving the creation of a new temporary part-time position in the planning department.

The goal is for Director Kurt Hausammann Jr. to fill that role at $50 per hour, not to exceed 1,000 hours annually, as he eases into retirement, slated for next spring. In his part-time capacity, Hausammann will work on special projects and help train a new director for the department, who is yet to be determined.

Other items to be considered include several contracts for juvenile probation, a $35,340 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection, an ammunition purchase in the amount of $11,629 and more.

Commissioners Jack McKernan, Tony Mussare and Rick Mirabito were present. The next meeting will be 10 a.m. Thursday in Executive Plaza.