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Council authorizes additional $14,241 for citywide ADA ramp project after low bid reduces state reimbursement
Summary
Sunnyside approved increasing city matching funds by $14,241 to complete a project building 24 ADA ramps. A Transportation Improvement Board policy limited engineering reimbursement after a low contractor bid reduced the state's share, creating a funding shortfall the city agreed to cover.
The Sunnyside City Council voted June 9 to increase city funding for a citywide pedestrian-improvement project by $14,241, bringing the city's total contribution to $91,383.
City staff and project engineer Terry Lappucci of HLA told the council that phase 2 of the project covers 24 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb ramps and that the Transportation Improvement Board (a WSDOT branch) limits total engineering reimbursements to 30% of the contract bid. One received bid was unusually low — $340,000 compared with an engineer's estimate just over $400,000 and an average bid of about $380,000 — which, by TIB formula, reduced state reimbursement and left the city $14,000 short of completing the work.
"It's a really screwed up deal, but that's their policy," Lappucci said, describing the funding rule and the resulting shortfall. Project staff said construction could begin within two weeks and would finish before school resumes in August if the funding increase is approved.
Councilor Vasquez moved to authorize the additional city funding, Councilor Hart seconded, and councilors voted to approve the increase. Staff also reported that the city expects to receive $211,000 of federal unused dollars from a Sixth Street project that will be returned to the city's street fund within about a month; councilors indicated that source would be used to cover the additional local match.
The project follows a larger phase last year that included 44 ramps; this smaller, faster follow-up is intended to be complete before the school year begins.
