Cowlitz County public works updates: bids, contract closeouts, inspection amendment and urgent culvert procurement

Susan Eugeneus, county engineer, briefed the commissioners on a series of construction and procurement items the county will bring to the board agenda next week.

On routine consent items, Eugeneus said five easements for the Dyke Road project will appear on the consent agenda. She reported the Tower Road Water Main and Juanita Way Booster Pump Station contract — awarded Jan. 21 to a low bidder identified in the presentation — is ready for execution. She also described the Hazel Dell Road slide‑repair project as closed out about $30,000 below the bid amount after the contractor installed a soldier‑pile retaining wall with tiebacks.

Eugeneus described two wastewater items in greater detail. The Toodle Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project opened for bids last week with eight bidders; the low bidder, Tapani, bid $1,584,213.15, roughly $92,000 below the engineer’s estimate, and staff said both the engineer and public works have prior experience with the contractor. That project is an ARPA‑funded set of plant improvements, including equipment replacement, a flow meter and an emergency generator; staff estimated most work complete by fall, with generator lead times possibly extending into early 2026.

Separately, staff requested Amendment No. 2 to the Bridal Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements design contract with Gibson Olson for $211,000 to provide daily on‑site inspections, additional review of engineering submittals and related services during construction. Eugeneus said the $211,000 request aligns with typical inspection costs of roughly 10–15% of construction cost and would fund daily inspection throughout the roughly 250‑day contract. Construction manager daily reports will be routed to county staff; Eugeneus said the county will still review documents prior to bringing the amendment to the board for approval.

Eugeneus asked the board to authorize a call for bids to purchase a prefabricated plate‑arch culvert for the Garlock Road project to meet state fish‑window restrictions. She said if the county does not order material within about six weeks, the county will miss the allowable in‑stream work window (July 16–Sept. 30). Based on vendor timelines presented, staff expects material delivery around July 30 if ordered on the expedited schedule. The project is funded largely by the state Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board, which covers about 85% of the cost with a 15% county match; Eugeneus said procuring the culvert in advance and delivering it to the site is eligible under that funding arrangement. She estimated the culvert materials at approximately $190,000.

Eugeneus said staff will include the culvert material purchase and other contracts on next week’s agenda for formal action. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about bid variance drivers (transportation, subs, specific items such as baserock), inspection report routing, and funding sources; Eugeneus said questions were addressed and that addenda and job walks had been used during bidding to ensure a fair process.

No formal roll‑call votes on any of these items appear in the transcript excerpt; staff described the items as coming forward for formal agenda action next week.