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Council approves new $100,000 WSDOT interlocal to help fund Seller Bridge right-of-way cleanup
Summary
The council authorized an interlocal agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation to accept $100,000 to offset city cleanup costs at the Seller Bridge right-of-way; city staff said crews removed over 500,000 pounds of material from the bridge area in 2024 at a cost exceeding $209,000.
The Wenatchee City Council approved an interlocal agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to accept an offered $100,000 pass-through allocation to help pay for right-of-way cleanup at the Seller Bridge.
Dave Erickson, parks and recreation director, summarized prior agreements and recent cleanup activity. The city previously entered into a similar agreement with WSDOT in 2013, and in 2022 and 2023 WSDOT provided pass-through funds ($150,000 in 2022 and $200,000 in 2023) to pay for removal of debris from rights of way. Erickson said city crews removed more than 500,000 pounds of material from the Seller Bridge area in 2024 at a total cost to the city of roughly $209,000; disposal costs alone were more than $43,000.
Erickson said WSDOT initially indicated the right-of-way cleanup program had no more money but later offered an additional $100,000 this year; the council approved the interlocal to accept the funds and to authorize execution of the agreement. In discussion, a council member asked about long-term sustainability; Erickson said the city is pursuing environmental-design measures to mitigate debris and that social-service and enforcement partners address the human causes of persistent right-of-way impacts.
The council passed the motion by voice vote. No change to city policy was enacted; the agreement provides one-time funding to offset cleanup costs and authorization for staff to execute the interlocal.
