Council approves water-line, vehicle and design contracts; adopts temporary-street-closure code

Anacortes City Council approved a series of contracts and an ordinance March 24, authorizing a $1.49 million water-main replacement contract, purchasing five city trucks, renewing a Microsoft enterprise agreement and approving a $485,500 contract modification for design work on Marches Point Road. Council also adopted a code change giving department heads limited authority to close or restrict streets for short periods.

The actions affect utility reliability, vehicle fleet replacement, IT licensing and shoreline-related road and bike-lane design. Council voted unanimously on the listed items with Councilmember Bruce McDougall excused from the meeting.

Votes and formal actions at a glance - 2025 water-line replacements: Council authorized the mayor to sign Contract 25-036-WTR-001 with Cimidex Construction for $1,488,245.28 to replace water mains, services and hydrants on a list of city streets. Motion: moved by Councilmember Young; second by Councilmember Fantini. Recorded yes votes: Young, Walters, Cleveland McGrath, Moulton, Hubick, Fantini. Outcome: approved.

- Purchase of five pickup trucks (Chevrolet): Council authorized Contract 25074-ERR-001 with Blade Chevrolet for $352,134.46 plus vehicle excise tax, title and registration fees. Motion: moved by Councilmember Moulton; second by Councilmember Young. Recorded yes votes: Walters, Cleveland McGrath, Moulton, Hubick, Fantini, Young. Outcome: approved.

- Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal (Office 365): Council authorized contract 25-093-ITS-001 with SHI International for $122,930.45. Motion: moved by Councilmember Cleveland McGrath; second by Councilmember Fantini. Recorded yes votes: Cleveland McGrath, Moulton, Hubick, Fantini, Young, Walters. Outcome: approved.

- Marches Point Road design contract modification: Council approved an amendment under Contract 24-159-ENG-001 with Kimberly-Horn & Associates increasing the design contract by $485,500 to a total of $1,075,100 to advance from 60% to 100% design for a new 30-inch water main and related bike-lane and shoreline stabilization work. Motion: moved by Councilmember Hubick; second by Councilmember Moulton. Recorded yes votes: Hubick, Fantini, Young, Walters, Cleveland McGrath, Moulton. Outcome: approved.

- Ordinance adopting temporary street closures and restrictions (Ordinance 4097): Council adopted a new Anacortes Municipal Code chapter on temporary street closures that delegates short-term closure authority to named department heads (mayor, public works director, fire chief, police chief and city engineer) for up to 72 hours and retains council authority for longer closures. Council amended the draft to include an emergency clause so the ordinance could take immediate effect. Motion: moved by Councilmember Walters; second by Councilmember Hubick. Recorded yes votes: Hubick, Fantini, Young, Walters, Cleveland McGrath, Moulton. Outcome: adopted.

What the votes mean - Water infrastructure: The approved water-line contract targets mains and services with a history of breaks and coordinates replacement with planned street overlays to limit future interruptions. - Marches Point Road: The design increase responds to shoreline erosion and permitting complexity on the Marches Point alignment and advances a larger project that refineries will fund through the utility's capital program. - Street-closure code: The adopted code provides city staff with a faster, delegated process to clear or restrict streets for short-term public-safety, construction or heavy-haul needs while retaining council oversight for longer closures.

Next steps and notes - Staff will proceed with construction procurement and the contract work set out in the approved water-line and design contracts. The Marches Point design work will continue through permitting; construction funding relies on refinery contributions and further permitting. The ordinance becomes effective immediately under the emergency clause adopted by council.