SEQUIM — A number of infrastructure and road projects are on tap for the rest of the year in the city of Sequim.
Work to replace 61 deficient Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps across the city is anticipated to begin today by Earthwork Solutions, LLC.
City council members agreed on May 27 to an approximate $808,000 contract with an $80,800 contingency for the project. Earthwork’s bid was just under the city staff’s estimate, and it’s funded at about 82.4 percent by a Transportation Improvement Board Grant. The remainder will come from the city’s Transportation Benefit District and Stormwater funds, according to city documents.
Nick Dostie, Sequim’s city engineer and deputy director of public works, said the project has a deadline of substantial completion by mid-November.
Meanwhile, portions of Washington Street, West Sequim Bay Road and River Road are expected to be repaved this summer while Priest Road is anticipated to be rebuilt in the western portion of the city.
For the Washington Street pavement rehabilitation project, Lakeside Industries will place about 1,040 tons of hot mix asphalt along Washington Street from Seventh Avenue to Ninth Avenue.
Lakeside was the lowest of two bidders at just less than $443,300, but about $20,000 more than city staff’s estimate.
The project is funded by a Surface Transportation Block Grant at about 86.5 percent, staff report.
Lakeside also will pave West Sequim Bay Road from Whitefeather Way to the eastern part of Sequim city limits with 320 tons of asphalt.
Lakeside’s bid at about $104,000 was about $25,000 less than city staff’s estimate, and funding largely comes from the city’s Transportation Benefit District.
Lakeside also won with a $1.15 million bid, about $62,000 more than city estimates, to place 2,950 tons of hot mix asphalt and replace the subgrade on Priest Road. City staff said about 86.5 percent of the project is funded by a Surface Transportation Block Grant.
Dostie said a timeline for Washington Street and Priest Road’s construction will be determined at meetings on Tuesday.
As for work on River Road, he said Department of Transportation staff are reviewing the project that will pave the road from the U.S. Highway 101 overpass to the nearby roundabout.
Civic Center
The city’s new parking lot on West Spruce Street started the first week of June.
Dostie said they will look to wrap up the project this summer.
Hoch Construction of Port Angeles, which is finishing the renovation and expansion of the Sequim Library this summer, won the approximate $619,000 contract to level the lots from 153-169 West Spruce Street and create a gated parking lot with 40 spots north of the city hall. It will include four pay-to-use electric vehicle charging spots.
Originally slated for 2024, funding for the project includes 2024 General Facility Charges and General Fund monies, and funds from this year’s Real Estate Excise Tax (REET), general fund, and water and sewer funds.
Sequim bought the lots in June 2022 for $457,500 from the city’s Rainy Day funds with the intent to turn the sites into a parking lot.
The city had been in negotiations off and on with former owner Ron Fairclough for more than a decade, he said.
Law enforcement reported often to the properties for an array of charges related to Fairclough’s renters, he said. His home at 153 W. Spruce St. burned down in June 2021, along with a dental lab, garage and a fifth-wheel trailer.
Pedestrian bridges
City staff report that two pedestrian bridges budgeted and ordered in 2024 for Carrie Blake Community Park are anticipated to be shipped the week of July 21.
Dostie said if there are no damages in transit, they’ll seek a bid to remove the old bridge and install the new ones.
City council members agreed in the city’s 2024 budget for $350,000 to replace four aging pedestrian bridges across Bell Creek.
Public Works Director Paul Bucich said they are now only replacing one bridge on the Olympic Discovery Trail and adding one wide enough for a mower. Cost to manufacture the bridges was about $180,000, Bucich said.
Dostie said they hope to install the bridges sometime this year depending on when permitting comes through the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Other projects
City staff noted a few other upcoming summer projects:
• Paving the gravel path around the James Center for the Performing Arts’ bandshell in Carrie Blake Community Park.
• Stormwater improvements at the intersection of Brown Road and Washington Street will begin July 21 and finish in mid-August.
• Staff will inspect city parks and facilities for ADA-compliance for a Transition Plan.
For more about the city of Sequim, visit sequimwa.gov.
________
Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
