Council approves cemetery expansion, road and utility contracts, and a 79‑unit multifamily tax exemption

The Wenatchee City Council voted on multiple action items at its March 26 meeting, approving contract awards, budget amendments and a multifamily tax exemption intended to expand cemetery capacity, accelerate combined street and water‑main work, and support local construction maintenance.

Cemetery expansion: Parks and Recreation Director Dave Erickson asked the council to accept the low bid from Hearst Construction for $217,332.78 to open Section M of the city cemetery. Erickson said the section will add about 1,470 plots and estimated roughly 10 years of additional capacity at current sales rates; he projected long‑term revenue of about $1.9 million as plots sell. Council member Rodenstein moved to accept the bid and authorize the mayor to sign the construction contract; Council member Atkinson seconded, and the motion carried.

Crawford/Okanagan intersection and water‑main work: Zach Horton, senior project engineer in Public Works, requested a budget amendment to combine the Crawford intersection improvements (including a compact roundabout and pedestrian illumination funded in part by a Safe Routes to School grant) with a Crawford Avenue water‑main replacement to pursue a "one‑dig" delivery approach. Horton said the city received additional grant funds — including about $200,000 from WSDOT — and recommended Supplement No. 4 with consultant Somas (the requested supplement amount approximated $467,000) to provide design and construction services across both projects. Council approved the budget amendments and authorized execution of the consultant supplement. Horton said the contract documents restrict work start until June 8 and allow a 30‑day intersection closure tied to a June 22–August 7 window to minimize school‑year disruption.

Multifamily tax exemption: Community Development Director Glenn DeRise presented a 12‑year multifamily tax exemption application from Grandviews Riverfront 2, LLC for a 79‑unit building on Worthen Street. The developer committed to dedicate 20% (16 units) as low‑ and moderate‑income affordable housing and must complete the units within three years. Council member Harold moved to adopt Resolution 2026‑07 to authorize the mayor to execute the exemption agreement; the motion passed.

Maintenance and construction contracts: The council approved a one‑year unit‑price concrete contract (SW26‑02) with low bidder Curb Appeal LLC for $135,100 to support routine repairs. The council also approved Amendment No. 3 with SCJ Alliance to provide construction management services for the Red Apple Road project (curb, gutter, sidewalk and bike lanes between Miller and Vista/Irrigation Canal); staff noted utility relocation work and a change from angle to parallel parking adjacent to the high school. Separately, the council authorized the mayor to sign a Public Works Board contract amendment to de‑obligate funds for the Roosevelt Avenue utility project after staff deferred reconstruction to focus on other higher‑priority water work; staff said the city may reapply for those funds in a future cycle.

Votes at a glance: all motions described above were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote at the March 26 meeting; the minutes record unanimous "Aye" responses and "Motion carries" for each item.