SEQUIM — Work on a new access road into Carrie Blake Community Park will begin next week.
The work will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is expected to be complete in mid-November.
The Sequim City Council awarded an approximately $504,000 contract plus a 5 percent contingency to Northern Land Development of Kingston, which will construct a new access road into the park from North Blake Avenue near the Sequim Trinity United Methodist Church.
As part of this work, a water main will be extended into the park and the existing North Blake Avenue entrance will be closed to motor vehicles and allow pedestrian traffic only.
“This will enhance park safety for users of the playground and other park amenities,” city officials said.
An earthen pad will be built for the future construction of eight pickleball courts located immediately east of the skate park as shown in the adopted Carrie Blake Park Master Plan. To see the plan, go to www.sequimwa.gov.
The construction of the pickleball facility will be handled under a separate contract tentatively scheduled for 2018.
Residents can expect noise from construction activity during work hours. All park facilities will be operational for the duration of this project, except for the BMX facility, which is being removed to accommodate the new access road.
The project is being funded with park impact fees, real estate excise tax and utility funds.
Sequim city engineer Matt Klontz has said that the overall project is estimated to be $50,000 over budget. The reason, Klontz said, is that during the bidding process the city’s design team learned that 2016 estimates for the project were low compared to today.
For more information, contact Project Engineer Dave Nakagawara at 360-582-2479 or dnakagawara@sequimwa.gov.
