Residents press Goldendale council over stalled High Street waterline project as city explores contract termination

Goldendale — Residents of Northwest High Street urged the Goldendale City Council on Tuesday to secure immediate safety fixes after an engineer told the council the North Phase waterline improvement contractor has not put a single water line in service and remains far behind schedule.

“At this point they don’t have a single line in service yet for the project, so I don’t have a lot of good news,” engineer Dustin Conroy told the council during the presentation on the 2024 North Phase waterline improvement project. He said the contract was written for 90 calendar days, the contractor has performed poorly, the city has issued stop‑work notices and a notice to terminate, and attorneys are involved as staff evaluate next steps.

The project’s contract value, Conroy said, is roughly $1,300,000 and the contractor carries a performance bond for the full contract amount. Conroy told the council the city has the option to terminate, to pursue the contractor’s surety to finish the work, or to pursue legal remedies — and that the contractor had 15 days to respond to the city’s termination notice.

Multiple nearby residents described hazardous conditions at driveways and along the roadway since work began. One resident, who lives at 310 Northwest High Street, asked that the city at minimum deliver gravel for temporary access this winter so residents can safely use their driveways and walk the street. "Something's got to be done for access, for safety," the resident said.

Alicia Hatfield, who identified herself as living at 231 Northwest High Street, described years of narrow, rutted roadway conditions that have been worsened by the current project and said she worries for her children and for neighbors who walk the street. “We have little kids … we drive on this road. There’s a lot of times where I have to either drive into Mister Wing’s driveway to make sure there’s enough room for two cars,” she said.

Council members pressed Conroy on possible interim remedies. Conroy said the city can authorize emergency repairs to make the street passable but acknowledged budget and contract complications, noting the city must be careful not to violate the existing contract while work is open. He also recommended continued consultation with legal staff. Conroy said the contractor had been asked to be 95% complete by a set date, but the contractor had not produced an updated schedule and had not met that target.

Council and residents asked for more frequent, clearer updates from staff about project status and next steps; one resident requested a mid‑November notice to neighbors. Conroy said staff expect additional developments mid‑November and that options will be clearer after the contractor’s response to the termination notice and discussions with the city attorney and the surety.

The council did not take a final policy vote during the meeting; Conroy described the next actions as procedural steps that include attorney review, potential termination, and, if needed, working with the bond issuer to finish the work or secure damages.

The council invited further questions from residents and indicated staff would continue communications and provide updates as more information becomes available.