Rathdrum council authorizes contract with La Rivera for downtown Main Street improvements

The Rathdrum City Council authorized the mayor to sign a contract with La Rivera to perform sidewalk, curb and gutter improvements on Main Street as part of a CDBG-funded project.

Staff presented the contract and explained the scope includes sidewalk replacement, curb and gutter work and ADA improvements. City staff said no final schedule has been negotiated yet with the contractor; the contract allows work to occur in a window that could span from fall into the following spring but requires the contractor to complete work by June of the contract year.

Council and staff spent substantial time discussing business access and the contract's liquidated-damages provisions. The contract's special provisions require the contractor to maintain access to businesses during construction; it also allows up to 30 consecutive calendar days from the date of demolition for a sidewalk/curb segment to be substantially complete and accessible. If the contractor exceeds allowable delays, the contract states liquidated damages of $500 per calendar day for each business location directly affected by the delay. Staff characterized that $500 per-business-per-day figure as an incentive for timely performance while acknowledging it may undercompensate some businesses if actual daily revenue losses are larger.

Staff said the city included the later completion date to let the contractor fit the work into its schedule, which can reduce cost, and explained the special provisions, traffic maintenance and noise limits are posted in the bid documents on the city's procurement site. Staff noted the contract contains additional referenced special provisions and technical attachments (listed as contract documents on the bid page) that further define access, traffic control and sequencing requirements.

Council asked about the apparent disparity between low and high bids. Staff said bid review included evaluation of contractors' past work and experience; La Rivera has built prior projects for the city and is performing work at city hall, and staff said it had no reason to deem La Rivera unqualified.

Motion to authorize the mayor to sign the contract passed on roll call (Mayor Sanders — Yes; John Hatch — Yes). Council directed staff to provide the special provisions and referenced bid addenda to any council member who wanted to review the contract attachments.

Why it matters: Main Street work will change downtown pedestrian access temporarily, and contract language aims to preserve business access and provide a liquidated-damages remedy if delays harm open businesses.

What happens next: once the mayor signs the contract, staff will negotiate schedule and notify the public of timing and staging; staff said they will work with the contractor on phasing to minimize business impacts and use the contract's liquidated-damages and access provisions to enforce timely completion and accessibility.