Council approves waterline and resurfacing contracts, accepts downtown donations; confirms two commission appointments

The Pullman City Council on March 25 took a series of formal actions: it confirmed two appointments to the Environmental Resilience Commission, accepted donations for a veterans park and downtown lighting, ratified a downtown change order on the consent agenda, and awarded contracts for a waterline extension to the airport and a resurfacing project.

Appointments: The council approved the appointment of Carlos Rojo and Kelly Cooper to the Environmental Resilience Commission with terms expiring December 31, 2028. The motion to confirm the appointments was made and seconded; the council voted in favor and the motion passed.

Donations and ordinance approvals: Ordinance 25‑03 was adopted to accept a restricted monetary donation from American Legion Maynard Price Post 52 to fund Veterans Park. The city reported the Post’s fundraising had collected “just shy of $300,000” for the project and the ordinance accepted those restricted funds into the city’s accounts. The council also adopted Ordinance 25‑04 to accept a $42,000 donation in cash and materials from the Downtown Pullman Association for pedestrian light pole banners and downtown lighting enhancements.

Consent agenda (selected): The council approved the consent agenda, which included multiple lodging tax grants (examples below) and ratified Change Order No. 6 to the Pullman Downtown Improvements Project. Lodging tax grants listed in the packet included up to $17,500 to Cougs First for a golf tournament, $3,600 to WSU Football Cougar Legends, $400 to Promote Pullman LLC for Blooms and Tunes, and $800 to International Community for a New Year celebration. The council also authorized software purchase and contract (OpenGov Cartograph asset management and Verdosoft LLC implementation) as part of the consent items.

Public works contracts: Resolution R‑13‑25 awarded the TerraView waterline extension to the airport project to the lowest responsible bidder, J.R. Construction (Post Falls, Idaho), with a low bid of $1,727,206.20. Staff said the project will install roughly 6,000 linear feet of 16‑inch potable main along Northeast Teraview Drive and Northeast Airport Drive; construction was expected to begin in early May (coinciding with WSU’s summer break) and be complete by mid‑late October. The low bid was about $400,000 below the engineer’s estimate of $2,150,000; staff reviewed bids and recommended award.

Resolution R‑14‑25 awarded the Orchard Drive and Valley Road resurfacing contract to Motley Motley Inc. with a low bid of $371,295. Staff said the project is a 2‑inch grind and overlay on Orchard Drive (Stadium Way NE to Valley Road) and on Valley Road (Orchard Drive west to Cove Way). The project received a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant; the packet shows TIB’s commitment at $314,083 and an estimated city share of about $83,212 to cover remaining costs (design and construction engineering included).

Executive session and adjournment: After regular business the council recessed to an executive session to discuss collective bargaining and potential litigation; the council announced no action was anticipated upon return and then adjourned the meeting.

Votes at a glance (formal actions adopted): • Confirm appointments: Carlos Rojo and Kelly Cooper to Environmental Resilience Commission — adopted. • Ordinance 25‑03: Accept donation from American Legion Maynard Price Post 52 for Veterans Park — adopted. • Ordinance 25‑04: Accept $42,000 donation from Downtown Pullman Association for light pole banners and downtown lighting — adopted. • Consent agenda (includes lodging tax grants listed above, ratify Change Order No. 6 to Pullman Downtown Improvements Project, purchase OpenGov Cartograph software) — adopted. • Resolution R‑13‑25: Award TerraView waterline extension contract to J.R. Construction ($1,727,206.20) — adopted. • Resolution R‑14‑25: Award Orchard Drive and Valley Road resurfacing contract to Motley Motley Inc. ($371,295) — adopted.

The council did not record roll‑call vote tallies by name in the public proceedings for these motions; each item was moved, seconded and approved on the council floor as recorded in the meeting minutes.