Leavenworth council awards $1.061 million contract for water-main connections and upgrades

The Leavenworth City Council voted unanimously on May 12 to accept a construction bid and authorize the mayor to execute a contract for the water-main connections and upgrades project in the amount of $1,061,007.56 (including Washington State sales tax). Staff said the project attracted two bids and that the engineer's estimate was just over $950,000.

Staff explained part of the project includes street repairs and improvements (Stafford Street and Hotler Street), and that just under $200,000 of the total will be charged to the street fund rather than the water fund. Council members asked why some line items, notably traffic control, came in higher than the engineer's estimate (traffic control estimate $38,200; bid line item roughly $75,000). Staff said some streets require more complex traffic control, including maintaining access and stopping traffic, which likely increased costs.

The council moved and the motion passed unanimously by a show of hands. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote by name.

Why it matters: The award advances a multi-site water-infrastructure project and includes concurrent street improvements, affecting construction activity and short-term traffic impacts in the community. The higher-than-expected traffic-control line prompted council questions about coordination and cost assumptions.

Next steps: The mayor was authorized to execute the contract and staff will coordinate construction sequencing and public-notice/traffic-control planning with affected neighborhoods.