Cowlitz County approves purchase of structural arch plates for Garlock Road fish-passage project

The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of steel structural plate arch sections for the Garlock Road/Delameter Creek fish-passage project at its meeting on an otherwise brief session.

County Engineer Susan Eugenis told commissioners the county opened bids for the arch plates on March 10 and "received 2 bids with the apparent with the lowest responsive bidder being contact engineered solutions for a total cost of hundred and $167,958.15, which includes Washington state sales tax." Eugenis said the county elected to buy the materials before selecting a construction contractor so the arch plates would be available during the upcoming fish-window work.

Eugenis said the supplier will provide shop drawings and deliver the plates to the site; the construction contractor selected later will be responsible for installing the arch per the county's specifications and providing a final load rating.

Commissioners moved and voted to approve the bid award as agenda item 9. The motion passed by voice vote during the meeting. The transcript records no recorded roll-call breakdown of votes; one commissioner, Commissioner Raider, was noted as absent that day.

The county did not present detailed installation or construction-contract timelines at the meeting; Eugenis said the materials procurement step was taken to meet the project's fish-window schedule. No additional project cost estimates beyond the arch-plate purchase price were provided during the presentation.

Documents listed with the consent materials and the public works presentation indicate the arch plates' purchase will be followed by a separate construction procurement and submittal review process for shop drawings and load-rating verification.