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Committee backs placing Beehive Industrial Area stormwater design grant on council consent calendar
Summary
The Tumwater Public Works Committee voted Jan. 23 to place a Department of Ecology grant agreement for design of stormwater retrofits in the Beehive Industrial Area on the Feb. 4 City Council consent calendar. The 55-acre project targets runoff that drains to Percival Creek and is funded 85% by Ecology with a 15% local match.
The Tumwater Public Works Committee on Jan. 23 recommended placing a grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology for 90% design and permitting of stormwater retrofits in the Beehive Industrial Area on the City Council’s Feb. 4 consent calendar.
The grant covers design work on an approximately 55-acre industrial area along Prosper Road where staff say limited stormwater infrastructure contributes runoff to Percival Creek, a stream the city has prioritized for protection. The Department of Ecology award covers 85% of the design phase, with a 15% match expected from the Tumwater stormwater utility fund; staff estimated the design-phase budget at about $210,000–$220,000.
Meredith, a city staff presenter, said the project is a first retrofit coming out of the city’s recent stormwater management planning and would employ a series of linear bioretention facilities in the public right of way to capture and treat roadway runoff. “This is the grant agreement that I’m bringing today for you all to consider moving forward,” Meredith said during the presentation.
City staff said the design contract will be presented separately to the committee once legal review is complete. A request for qualifications produced Polar Designs as the preferred consultant; staff reported a proposed service provider agreement budget of about $180,000 and an agreement term through July 2027 to allow time for revisions and permitting. The Ecology grant runs through January 2027, staff added.
Staff outlined a tentative schedule that would begin data collection in spring, continue engineering and permitting through summer, and aim to finish designs by October to align with Ecology’s annual construction grant window. If the October application window is missed, staff said the city could reapply in October 2026.
The committee moved and seconded placing the grant agreement on the Feb. 4 consent calendar; the motion passed with all committee members present voting aye.
Staff noted the design work is limited to city right-of-way on streets identified in the presentation (Joppa and an adjacent corridor) and that sidewalk or pedestrian improvements are not included in this scope; transportation engineering work on Prosper Road remains a separate project and would inform any future sidewalk additions.
Action on the consultant contract and final design approvals will return to the committee for formal authorization; the grant agreement itself was forwarded to the council consent calendar with recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign.
