Council approves up to $55,000 for specialized structural assessments by Wiss, Janney, Elsler & Associates

Ferndale City Council on Oct. 13 approved a purchase order not to exceed $55,000 for Wiss, Janney, Elsler & Associates (WJE) to conduct special-condition structural assessments at four city locations and to produce inspection reports and recommendations.

Council members said the specialized engineering assessments are intended to identify hidden structural problems that standard condition assessments can miss and to narrow repair scopes and costs. The contract covers inspections and reports for Fire Station No. 1, Fire Station No. 2, DPW main yard column(s) and City Hall columns and includes a not-to-exceed contingency of $11,000 for follow-up testing or additional scope as needed.

DPW staff said WJE had previously worked for the city on other structural issues and was recommended by multiple engineering firms for the technical scope required. The DPW presentation said the firm would perform on-site inspections, testing where necessary, and deliver technical reports within about two to three weeks after inspection.

Council members asked whether the work should proceed for the Kulik Center parcel while ownership and potential land‑swap discussions with the school remain unresolved. City staff replied that Kulik-related assessments would be ill-advised until the city has clear control of the parcel but that the contingency could be held back and reallocated should ownership change. Staff noted the facilities capital budget includes line items for engineering and that any large-scope work identified by the reports would return to council for approval.

A motion to approve the purchase order was put to a roll-call vote and carried unanimously: Johnson, Kelly, Mikulski, Polica and Leaksmay voted yes. The motion authorizes spending from the facilities maintenance account (budget line referenced in the motion).