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Tumwater committee backs grant amendment to speed reimbursement for Percival Creek fish‑passage project
Summary
The City of Tumwater Public Works Committee voted unanimously to recommend a grant‑agreement amendment with the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office that changes construction‑phase reimbursement from 15% to 85% for the Percival Creek fish‑passage project. The committee approved placing the amendment on the May 6 council consent calendar.
The City of Tumwater Public Works Committee on April 17 voted to recommend a grant agreement amendment with the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for the Percival Creek Fish Passage project, changing the construction‑phase reimbursement rate from 15% to 85% and directing the item to the Tumwater City Council consent calendar for May 6, 2025.
The amendment affects a Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) grant administered by RCO that provides $257,550 for the Percival Creek project. Ryan Blazer, an engineer with the City of Tumwater Transportation Engineering Department, said the amendment “allows us to utilize the grant quicker” and does not alter the total grant amount or the overall project timeline.
The project will replace a large box culvert under SAB Road that currently blocks fish passage, with the aim of returning the stream to a more natural condition and opening spawning and rearing habitat upstream. Blazer said construction is anticipated in 2026 (previously expected in 2025). The project also includes roadway and utility improvements and the addition of a bike lane and sidewalk at the crossing.
Councilmember Swarthout described the amendment as “just kind of an administrative efficiency thing,” noting that the change is procedural and does not alter the grant total. The committee discussion focused on the mechanics of reimbursement timing; no changes to project scope, budget total, or schedule were proposed during the meeting.
The committee's recommended action was: place Grant Agreement Amendment No. 1 for the Percival Creek project with the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office on the May 6, 2025, city council consent calendar with a recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign. That recommendation was moved by Ryan Blazer (staff) and seconded by Councilmember Swarthout; both committee members voted in favor.
For the record, the committee also approved the minutes from the March 20 meeting earlier in the session.
The committee’s recommendation will go to the full Tumwater City Council for final action on the consent calendar on May 6, 2025. If approved by council and the mayor, the amendment will change the reimbursement rate during construction to 85% of eligible construction costs up to the grant amount, allowing the city and RCO to close accounting for the grant more quickly.
