PORT TOWNSEND — A project to shore up hollow spaces underneath downtown sidewalks — which will mean tearing up walkways — is now in its planning phase, with city officials seeking to avoid mistakes of other road projects.
“We realize that past projects have been controversial,” said Scott Sawyer, Port Townsend city engineer.
“So for this project, we want to be more organized and more helpful in providing resources to the merchants and the public to keep everyone informed.“
More than 50 people gathered at The Public House Grill on Water Street on Wednesday morning for Sawyer’s presentation, which was sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
The city plans to replace sidewalks, many of which have spaces, or “void” areas, underneath them.
The sidewalks could collapse during an earthquake or other stress, city planners said.
The $2 million project funded by three grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — or FEMA — will proceed in three phases.
Work will begin on Taylor Street, continue south on Water Street, then run north on Water Street for the final phase.
The order of the phases is governed by the grant process, since the grant to repair Taylor Street expires in 2012.
The project is scheduled for a 2013 completion.
The grants are for shoring up the tunnels to prevent their collapse, but other work could be done at the same time.
“If we tear up the sidewalks, we want to see what else we can do at the same time,” Sawyer said, mentioning the widening of sidewalks and the replacement of utility connections as examples.
Sawyer said three buildings would need “shoring up” prior to the beginning of construction but declined to identify those locations until the owners had been notified.
This notice would occur in the next few weeks, he said.
Planning Director Rick Sepler said there was no immediate danger of collapse but that the work should be done as soon as possible.
“If we don’t fix it and it breaks, there will be a lot of unplanned labor costs and traffic disruption that we aren’t prepared for,” he said.
Sawyer said input would be sought on the timing of the repairs but that downtown disruption cannot be avoided.
The choice exists to have the project done as soon as possible with increased disruption to automobile and foot traffic or proceed more slowly in a way that would cause less inconvenience.
City Manager David Timmons said the city learned a lot from the last major road project, the Civic District, which was dedicated in May.
“We weren’t happy with how long that took to complete, but we learned a lot,” Timmons said of the project.
“We shut down construction to accommodate the festivals, but that pushed us into the winter, where there were construction delays that were brought about by weather and work stoppages.”
Timmons said the city would seek to minimize the impact but said, “I don’t see how you can complete a street project without disrupting traffic.”
Sawyer said the city would maintain a website and an active outreach program during construction to let people know what was going on at a particular time.
“I heard about a lot of things the city was doing during the roundabout project that weren’t true,” he said, referring to a 10-month, $7.1 million project completed last July that added roundabouts at Howard and Thomas streets and center medians, sidewalks and landscaping, as well as widened the state Highway 20 entrance into Port Townsend.
“There was a small bit of accurate information contained, but the rest of it was like that kindergarten game where the final message has very little resemblance to what was said originally,” Sawyer said.
“In situations where there is a lack of information, then misinformation fills the void.”
Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval said the renovations would cause inconvenience but urged merchants to be “creative.”
“Maybe stores need to open up a little earlier or close a little later to make up for what they lose,” she said.
“Last Sunday, I was walking to work at 10:30 in the morning when I passed two different couples staring into the window of a closed shop saying, ‘This is such a cute little town. I wish we could buy something.’”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.