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Public works reports wastewater-plant upgrades, multiple street projects and WSDOT funding delay for SR 531
Summary
Public Works described progress on wastewater treatment upgrades, force-main replacements and several road projects; staff also said WSDOT delayed SR 531 widening another year and the city is seeking an accounting of funds spent to date.
Jim Kelly, utilities and transportation staff, delivered the utilities and transportation quarterly update to the council and provided progress reports on several major utility- and road-related projects.
Kelly said crews completed an air-header modification at the MBR wastewater facility and that the SCADA upgrades for the wastewater and water-treatment plants are being implemented in parallel with old systems while contractors debug communications. He reported the MBR blower installation contractor has been awarded and will begin construction, and that MBR-programming upgrades are scheduled for a six-week debugging period.
On potable-water and booster infrastructure, Kelly said the new PLC/SCADA system at the new water-treatment facility is being phased in while the legacy system runs in parallel; the 640 booster-pump-station project is advancing but PUD service work has been delayed because of regional weather-related outages.
Kelly also summarized field repairs: Lift Station 7 received two new pumps and a ductile-pipe repair was completed in place; the collections crew is investigating an unknown green sludge-like material found in a manhole and samples have been sent to the lab for testing.
On design and foundations, Kelly said geotechnical work at the wastewater-plant expansion found poor soils and evidence the old plant sat on wood piles; staff and consultants decided to use a pin-pile foundation design (about 90 pin piles) rather than larger-diameter piles to manage costs and seismic/liquefaction risk.
Several transportation projects are under construction or design: completed signal work at 270 Fourth (activation delayed by a right-of-way adjustment), traffic-calming corrections on Cox Avenue, the 200 Eleventh corridor (where an unexpectedly shallow sanitary force main requires an approximately 2,000-foot replacement that was not in the original contract), and Broadway/Division rehabilitation. Staff said design for the 180 Eighth and Smoky Point roundabout has moved forward and federal/state STIP obligations were updated in January.
Kelly highlighted a major issue with the SR 531 widening project: the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has moved the project out another year. City staff said they have asked WSDOT for an accounting of design and construction funds spent to date because the city has been involved in design for eight years and needs clarity on whether future construction funding remains. Councilmembers urged staff to escalate the request if necessary and suggested the city notify legislators and the public if construction funding is at risk.
What’s next: staff will bring a separate agenda item for the unplanned force-main replacement necessary for the 200 Eleventh corridor project and will continue debugging SCADA/MBR systems and coordinating with PUD on service drops.
