Cowlitz County public works staff recommend bid awards, landfill monitoring contracts and seek FEMA BRIC study for frequent‑flood area

Public works staff briefed the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on a package of capital and operational items ahead of the board’s next business meeting, recommending a low bid award, professional services agreements for landfill monitoring, and submission of a FEMA BRIC grant pre‑application for a flood‑mitigation planning study.

Why it matters: The items affect capital spending, environmental compliance at county landfills, and flood‑mitigation planning for a repeatedly flooded residential area. Several items will appear on the board’s consent agenda if commissioners approve signatures and routine steps.

Low bid for water main and booster pump station

Susan Eugeneus, the county engineer, told the board the recent bid opening produced 11 bidders and that the low bidder was ROCE at $1,549,631.76 for the Tower Road water‑main and Juanita Way booster pump station work. Eugeneus said the second‑low bid was roughly $5,000 higher and that ROCE’s paperwork and debarment checks were in order. Staff recommended accepting the low bid and moving it forward for award.

Landfill monitoring contracts

Public Works also recommended two service contracts with PBS for environmental monitoring at the county’s Headquarters and Tenet Way landfills. Eugeneus described the surface emissions contract as a task‑order service “not to exceed $150,000” to develop monitoring plans and conduct quarterly sampling under approved unit rates. A second, fixed‑fee agreement for groundwater and surface‑water sampling — described as quarterly sampling, quarterly reporting and a year‑end report — was quoted at about $161,000.

Eugeneus explained the county must meet air‑permit and groundwater monitoring obligations. “We are reimbursed about $363,000 on that 2 years... We currently use those dollars to run our MRW facility... We also use those dollars to facilitate our rural recycling program,” staff said while discussing solid‑waste grant allocations used to support landfill operations.

FEMA BRIC planning study for Westover/Lomar flooding

Eugeneus described a proposed BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) planning study for the Westover/Lomar neighborhood, an area the county said floods frequently. The grant would fund a planning and benefit‑cost study to identify mitigation alternatives, which could include expanded storage, open channel work, or — as staff candidly noted — potential buyouts of repeatedly flooded properties. "This grant application... would only allow us to apply for the study. But that would set us up, moving forward, to apply for the grant and actually fix it," Eugeneus said.

Dike Road reconstruction and Army Corps 408 process

Staff provided an update on the Dyke (Dike) Road reconstruction project, a two‑mile stretch that requires U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 408 approval because the road sits on an older federal levy. Eugeneus said the 408 review was underway and typically takes 9 months to 18 months; the county has been about 10 months into the process and hopes to bid the project in spring so construction can occur this summer.

International Way emergency repair update

Public Works reported that an emergency repair contract with AES addressed a 15‑inch storm pipe damaged by boring on International Way. Crews installed bypass pumps, removed sand, repaired a pipe hole and ran a camera inspection between manholes for roughly a 450‑foot section; county staff said the line was “95%” clear and the cold patch was being placed at the time of the briefing.

Other items

Staff noted a recorded possession and use agreement for the Shadow Mountain Reservoir project, an annual Title VI public‑outreach compliance report for signature (required because the county receives federal funding), and a temporary construction easement request for Dike Road driveway reconstruction. Staff also previewed building projects: an investment‑grade audit and upcoming briefing on HVAC and electrical upgrades at the Hall of Justice, progress on annex remediation and tenant improvements, and new office space for the Office of Public Defense.

Quotes and context

• "That was the bid we opened... The low bid was from ROCE in an amount of $1,549,631.76," Eugeneus said of the water‑main project.

• "For the surface emissions, it's a not to exceed $150,000," Eugeneus said, describing the task‑order contract for surface air monitoring at the landfills.

Next steps

Staff requested that Commissioner Dahl sign the Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance (LSWIFA) grant amendment and will place the signed documents on next week’s consent agenda. Staff will return with formal contract documents for the low bid award and monitoring contracts and will proceed with BRIC application submittal via the state if the board approves the applicant‑agent resolution.

Ending

County engineers and public works staff said the projects collectively support regulatory compliance, infrastructure rehabilitation and flood‑mitigation planning. Several items will appear on the board’s next consent or action agenda for formal approval.