City engineer says River Street retaining wall design near completion; commissioners press to hire in‑house engineer

An engineer of record from Hanson Associates told the commission the survey and design work for the River Street retaining wall are nearly finished and that the city should receive final designs within one to two weeks.

The engineer (Hanson Associates) said the firm has finalized the survey and is completing the design so staff can proceed to bid. He told commissioners that once the design arrives the city will need an emergency approval to move to bid and construction.

Commissioners and staff used the update to renew a broader staffing concern: multiple speakers, including grants and public works staff, said outsourcing engineering design has added 18–24 months to projects and urged hiring an in‑house professional engineer to speed project delivery and support grant readiness. The commission noted it previously approved funding for the retaining wall engineer design (the transcript records that the earlier approval covered the engineering cost) and asked staff to move quickly to mitigate liability while designs are completed.

Public works staff also said temporary measures are being developed to reduce immediate public‑safety liability at the site while final design and bidding proceed. No additional appropriation or construction contract was approved at the meeting; staff said the design and a bid package will come back for authority to proceed.