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Residents press La Conner council to require inspections, council to consider hiring independent inspector
Summary
Residents urged the council to address safety, traffic control and erosion at the Center Street construction site; staff said it has sought a third-party construction inspector and asked council to approve a budget amendment to fund on-site inspection services.
Gary Nelson, who gave his address to the council, told the La Conner Town Council that contractor equipment and trucks were using the public right of way during a Center Street project and that stormwater, soil and construction debris were being tracked onto public streets. “We're requesting assistance from the mayor, town council, and town staff to provide a consistent inspection and require the contractor ... to follow the requirements,” he said.
Mike Nelson, a resident who identified himself as a civil engineer, gave a detailed critique of the work, saying the road has been closed longer than the typical timeframe for a small utility job and that the site was “filthy dirty,” with trucks turning without flaggers and residents unable to access services. “The road shouldn't be this dirty,” he said, adding that he has repeatedly asked the contractor to improve traffic control and cleanup.
A town staff member told the council that staff have tried to secure a certified construction-management/inspection firm and that a contract would allow on-site, ongoing inspections, compaction and material testing. The staff member said initial estimates for having a firm on call range from about $8,000 up to $20,000 and that the primary remaining obstacle for a quick start is council approval of funds.
Council members, hearing repeated resident complaints and seeing photos provided by speakers, agreed the town should move toward a contract for third-party construction inspection and discussed using transportation-related funds and a budget amendment to cover the work. One council member urged a special meeting if needed to approve the contract quickly; others emphasized they would prefer to seek reimbursement from the developer if possible but acknowledged that the town may need to front the cost to resolve immediate safety issues.
No formal vote to award a contract took place at the meeting. The council directed staff to prepare contract language and budget amendment options for council review and said it could call a special meeting with 24 hours' notice to consider funding so the inspection firm may be on site promptly.
