Committee approves consultant contract for County Route projects; staff reports paving bids and new overlays

The Warren County Public Works Committee approved a contract to secure preliminary design, right-of-way work, and construction inspection for County Route projects including Diamond Point and Smith Brook, and heard an update that lower-than-expected paving bids allowed additional overlay projects to be placed out to bid.

Mr. Strainer moved to bring the consultant contract forward for consideration; Mr. Bean seconded the motion and committee members voted unanimously to advance the contract for action. The contract was presented as covering preliminary design, right-of-way acquisitions, incidentals, construction inspection and observation for H-439 and H-440 (identified in the record as County Route 35, Diamond Point, Smith Brook and East projects) with a consultant whose name was spoken in the meeting as both “Puff Harbor” and “Coffey Harbor.”

Kevin (staff member) characterized the projects as federally funded: “this is one of our Federal Way projects, so it’s at 80.155, so we pay the 5¢ on the dollar and the feds and the State are paying the rest,” wording used on the record. That funding-split phrasing was not clarified during the discussion and should be confirmed with the county finance office before relying on the numeric phrasing in procurement documents.

Committee members asked whether soft costs were included; staff confirmed soft costs are included in the contract breakdown. After a second voice vote—recorded as unanimous “aye”—the committee authorized entering into the contract.

Separately, staff reported that bids for the current pavement work came in lower than anticipated, producing savings that allowed a new group of overlay projects to be advertised. Kevin listed planned and forthcoming projects: Dix Avenue (to be converted to a full-depth Federal Way project next year but receiving an overlay now), Thirteenth Lake, Garnet Lake in Johnsburg, another portion of Diamond Point Road in Warrensburg/Lake George, Oregon Avenue in Bolton, Dix Avenue and Corinth Road near West Mountain Road, Bay Road, and Harrisburg Road. Staff said overlay work typically uses reclamation—breaking up existing pavement and reusing it as base—so the new overlays will serve as improved base for future deeper reconstruction.

Staff also said pavement crews expect work to begin next week on the projects already awarded and noted the county will continue to sequence full reconstructions where funding and project scope require it.