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Port approves change order for Bay Street soil remediation after Ecology, EPA request
Summary
The Port of Bremerton authorized a $48,501.88 change order to expand soil and foundation removal at the Bay Street properties after the Department of Ecology and EPA required additional testing and removal; the work is grant-funded and contractor mobilization is planned for June 1.
The Port of Bremerton voted to approve Change Order No. 1 with Innovative Construction Solutions to expand environmental remediation at the Bay Street properties after state and federal regulators requested additional soil testing and removal.
The change order, which the commission authorized on a motion that carried, adds $48,501.88 to the contract to remove wood floor foundations, pilings and concrete footings and to excavate approximately an additional two feet of contaminated soil beneath those structures, according to James, who presented the item.
The change matters because Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency review of demolition work and follow-up testing identified contamination under two structures beyond what earlier tests showed. James said the additional work was requested by the EPA and Department of Ecology and “is completely grant funded. So it’s a 0 change order scope.”
Project scope and funding: The port reported the original grant award was $800,000. According to the presentation, $275,751 has been spent on environmental analysis, testing and permitting to date; the original contract with Innovative Construction Solutions was reported as about $287,186; the new total contract after this change order was presented as $335,006.98. The presenter said the grant would still leave a cushion within the award to cover unforeseen issues.
Timing and next steps: James told commissioners the contractor plans to mobilize June 1 to remove tanks and begin the additional demolition and soil removal. He said the site grading goal is to have the site “graded flat” by September, followed by three years of post‑remediation testing. The presentation noted backfilling and final site grading are subject to a separate permit and ongoing coordination with the City of Port Orchard.
Commission action and comments: A commissioner moved to approve the change order and to authorize the CEO to execute it. The motion passed on a recorded voice vote; commissioners recorded in the discussion included Commissioner Bozeman and Commissioner Strickland. After the vote the presenter said work would “get done quick.”
Why it matters: The additional excavation responds to regulator direction and aims to remove contaminated soils beneath demolished structures rather than capping them, changing the remediation approach for the parcels and impacting how the site will be used for laydown and parking during nearby breakwater construction.
What remains uncertain: The exact volume of soil to be excavated and the final backfill approach were discussed but not specified in detail; the presenter said backfilling is part of a separate permitting process with the City of Port Orchard. The commission’s action funds the additional removal under the existing grant but does not yet finalize backfill or future site uses beyond interim laydown and parking plans.
