County engineer recommends two-year pavement striping contract; annual cost estimated just over $469,000

Cowlitz County's public works staff recommended awarding a two-year countywide pavement striping contract to a new contractor and told commissioners the arrangement should yield cost and performance improvements.

County engineer Susan Eugenas said the county opened bids on May 11 and received three bidders. She told the board the contract was set up as a two-year price to cover 2026 and 2027, and that the annual estimate for the work is "just over $469,000," which staff said is approximately $69,000 less than the previous year. Eugenas said the two-year approach was recommended by striping contractors as a way to secure better pricing, and the contract includes an option to cancel at the end of the first year if the county is not satisfied.

Eugenas explained the county did reference checks on the selected contractor and said operations staff and the county engineer would assess on-the-ground performance to determine satisfaction. She also discussed prior quality problems with striping and possible causes (insufficient beads in the mix or application speed), noting that visual inspection has shown differences in hold-up between years.

Commissioners asked whether engineering and operations staff would determine contractor satisfaction; Eugenas said that decision would be made jointly by herself and the operations superintendent. The board was given the recommendation to award the bid and authorized staff to proceed with the two-year contract subject to performance oversight.