Opinion ID: 2432968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sewer Compaction Dispute

Text: Another item in dispute involves a sewer easement of the City of Little Rock. The easement crosses the entire site, a distance of some 1,300 feet. During the course of the construction the city decided to replace the sewer line, creating a problem because the city's backfill of the trench did not meet the 95% compaction density required under the contract. RAD-Razorback contends Coney agreed to bring the compaction to contract specifications, and to perform this admittedly extra work for $7,500. RAD-Razorback relies on a signed change order which reads as follows: Remove excess dirt placed by city installation of sewer line front and parallel with front of K-Mart store and provide compaction of backfill as required in K-Mart paving specification. The filling of the trench became a long and involved process due to heavy rains, poor drainage and unsuitable soils and Coney claims approximately $80,000 over the original contract for this work. The chancellor made no specific finding of fact, he simply announced a judgment for Coney. The record consists of seventeen volumes and countless exhibits, abstracted into 300 pages, with few exhibits abstracted. On issues largely involving an accounting, it is impossible to arrive at any definitive conclusions. Thus, on de novo review we cannot determine whether the judgment is supported by the preponderance of the evidence. While it appears that no change order was ever filed by Coney for the amount claimed over the $7,500 assertedly agreed to, we cannot say with certainty what effect that omission may have had in this case. Nor can we tell whether Coney has documented the expenditures he claims. Ordinarily we try chancery cases de novo from the record and render the decree which should have been rendered below; however, when the record is such that we cannot end the controversy in this court we will remand that part of the case as justice requires for further proceedings. Walt Bennett Ford v. Pulaski County Special School District No. 213, 274 Ark. 208, 624 S.W.2d 426 (1981). Fish v. Bush, 253 Ark. 27, 484 S.W.2d 525 (1972). We are forced to that recourse in this case, leaving to the chancellor whether to make that determination himself or appoint a master for the purpose of taking proof and making a recommendation. The issues remanded are whether the parties agreed this phase of the work would be performed for $7,500 and, if not, what was the cost to Coney of completing the work.