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Poulsbo staff propose two small sewer fixes: Gateway rehab and Eleventh Avenue extension; budget amendment to follow
Summary
Public works officials asked the council to authorize design and a budget amendment to repair a failing public sewer on Gateway Church property and to extend sewer service to a small Eleventh Avenue neighborhood with aging septic systems.
Public works staff on Sept. 3 told the Poulsbo City Council that two small but urgent sewer projects have emerged that are not on the city's capital-improvement program and will require supplemental funding and design work.
The first is a roughly 100-foot section of public sewer on Gateway Church property near the Nordic Cottages project that staff said is in poor condition, has required monthly root cutting and jetting, and is causing occasional backups. Staff said the pipe was originally thought to be private but document research showed it sits in a public easement and is therefore the city's maintenance responsibility. Charlie (staff member) said the construction cost estimate is approximately $60,000'$80,000.
The second project would install sewer on Eleventh Avenue (near Lincoln Road and the Safeway), a short street serving seven existing homes and one vacant lot that currently rely on 50-year-old septic systems. Staff said a single septic failure prompted health-district involvement; the health district advised that replacing one failing septic on a small, steep, wooded lot would be difficult and that several systems in the area could begin to fail in coming years. Charlie said a full construction estimate for Eleventh Avenue is roughly $300,000.
City staff explained that the city code allows the use of a frontage-fee assessment in cases where the city installs sewer after the original development, enabling the city to recover some cost from benefiting properties. Charlie said the city plans to do the design in-house, hire survey and CAD work, and return to council with a budget amendment in coming meetings.
Council members asked timing and outreach questions. Charlie said the Gateway repair would be short (about a week of construction) but will require coordination with the church and the school and that staff would time work to minimize disruption to weekly events. For Eleventh Avenue, staff said the city would overlay the road after sewer installation and would start homeowner outreach once council approves the budget amendment. No formal council vote was taken at the Sept. 3 meeting; staff said they will return with a budget amendment and request for authority to advertise a construction bid.
