Council hears update on Plywood Trail; contractor to address out-of-spec sections and liquidated damages to fund repairs

City officials and members of the Plywood Trail executive committee provided the Lamar City Council an update Tuesday on construction defects, planned repairs and long-term maintenance funding for the Plywood Trail.

Jason (executive committee member) and Mark (executive committee member) told the council they had received an engineer’s update indicating that contractor work left sections of the trail outside the project’s smoothness specifications. The contractor (referred to in the discussion as Gabbardson/Hugerson Smith in the transcript) has agreed to liquidated damages for two project sections, reported to be just under $100,000 combined; those funds and an agreed deduct are planned to be used to hire a contractor to repair the most significant out-of-range spots.

Council members asked whether three recurring low spots that pond after rainfall would be fixed and who would be responsible for ongoing maintenance. The executive committee members said the company agreed to repair the most considerable problem areas but that some sections will remain within the ditch and therefore subject to periodic wetness after rain; the engineer told them state DOT requirements for ditch width limit how much trail grade can be raised without relocating utility poles or altering the ditch. One councilmember expressed concern that moving poles would cost “a few hundred thousand each.”

Council members also asked about the trail endowment that had been discussed in prior years as a fund to cover maintenance costs. Committee members said the endowment has not been formed, there is no bank account in place and there is currently no dedicated fund to guarantee long-term maintenance; the committee indicated it expects to reimburse the city for extraordinary maintenance in the near term and will continue working on establishing funding. Committee members said some repairs will be scheduled for spring when weather and contractor access are more favorable.

Committee members described repair work as more than surface grinding: for some locations the contractor will remove and reinstall full sections. The council also discussed signage and safety at trail approaches and blind spots, and recommended additional explanatory signage near trailheads.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on the trail update during the meeting. Council members directed staff and the Plywood Trail executive committee to continue oversight and to invoice the Plywood Trail group for city maintenance costs if the city performs repairs that fall under the contractor’s or Plywood Trail group’s responsibility.