Cowlitz County public works closes multiple contracts, OKs engineering amendment and buys landfill litter fences

Cowlitz County public works staff on Monday told the Board of County Commissioners the county has completed several public‑works contracts, will seek to approve an engineering contract amendment and recommends purchase of portable litter fences for the county landfill.

The commission heard that the Weather Guard annex roof replacement contract was completed and that the county would move to release retainage after state and auditor review. "The total was approximately $208,000 for that roof," said Savannah Clement, public works, describing the closeout. Staff also reported the Hall of Justice North parking‑lot overlay is complete with a final contract amount of about $110,000.

Those contract closeouts were presented alongside a series of road‑work project updates. County Engineer Susan Eugenis said striping and a countywide overlay work included unplanned extra quantities and repairs where pavement damage required additional grinding. The county’s 2024 countywide overlay closeout with Lakeside showed an increase from an original $2,121,010 bid to a $2,231,871.96 final amount after added work on Little Klamath River Road.

Eugenis said the county found that an older combination of oil and rock used on some older overlays contributed to pavement failures during an unusually hot spell. "We have switched both the type of oil and the type of rock we're using," Eugenis said, adding that subsequent chip seal work showed fewer problems.

Public works also requested Amendment No. 4 to the professional services agreement with RH2 Engineering, adding $91,886 for additional pre‑bid and construction‑support services related to conflicts encountered with a Williams pipeline and for on‑site construction reviews of a pump station. "That is what this increase is for, and for time that they're going to spend out on‑site inspecting the installation of the pump station," Clement said.

Separately, Sean Roeh of public works recommended awarding a bid to Coastal Knitting Systems for 10 portable litter fences to be used at the headquarters landfill. Roeh described the units as 24 feet wide by 15 feet tall, movable by attaching to a dozer blade, and said the recommended low bid was $71,512.80. "These are to catch wind‑blown debris off the open fill of the landfill itself," Roeh said, noting the county received four bids that ranged up to roughly $133,000.

Facilities maintenance also sought two on‑call contract awards: Core Solutions for electrical services and Weather Guard for roof repair and maintenance, each not to exceed $100,000. Staff said updated purchasing thresholds and on‑call procurement procedures drove the recommendations.

Clement and Eugenis told commissioners the county follows standard closeout practices so the auditor's office can release retainage once work is verified and state requirements addressed. Commissioners asked routine questions about engineer estimates, bid processes and whether the county should consider purchasing its own striping machine; staff said that comparison will be brought back in early 2026.

The public‑works report closed with a short miscellaneous note from staff: a county parks side‑by‑side vehicle was taken last week and later recovered; police arrested a suspect and returned the keys and vehicle with no major damage.

Commissioners did not record formal roll‑call votes in the transcript excerpt for the individual items; staff said contract closeout documentation, the RH2 amendment paperwork and purchasing authority for the litter fences and on‑call awards would be submitted through the normal board consent or motion process for formal approval in upcoming minutes or agenda packets.