PORT TOWNSEND — Neighbors of the Jefferson County Courthouse could hear construction noise on Saturday during the next few weeks.
Saturdays will be added to the construction schedule as the county clock tower is rehabilitated, said Gordon Ramstrom, county public works project manager.
“Because there’s only a limited amount of good weather that’s left, we’ve requested to work on an as-needed basis for the month of September,” Ramstrom said.
He said the general contractor of the project, Poulsbo-based Drury Construction working under a $1.5 million contract, has permission to work on Saturdays this month but has not yet said if workers will be showing up to do weekend work.
The entire project has been budgeted for $3.1 million.
This spring, before work on the tower began, neighbors of the courthouse located at 1820 Jefferson St., asked commissioners to prohibit weekend and evening work.
They remembered noise from a prior construction project disturbing their evenings.
Although the original schedule for rehabilitation of the clock tower called for regular weekend work, county officials granted the neighbors’ request.
But with the project’s Oct. 24 deadline fast approaching and good weather dwindling, the contractor thought it necessary to work on Saturdays this month, Ramstrom said.
Ramstrom said the building department has received few noise complaints since work began early this summer.
“The neighborhood has been really quite supportive, patient and tolerant,” Ramstrom said.