Council approves Saturday work hours for County Road 38 resurfacing project

The Newport City Council voted on March 5 to approve Washington County’s request to extend allowable work hours to Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the County Road 38 resurfacing project this summer.

City Engineer John Herdigan told the council the county requested Saturdays to help accommodate project timelines and said the work is resurfacing—"limited excavation"—rather than a deep reconstruction that would require more disruptive equipment. "Typically our work hours are 7 to 7 Monday through Friday; the county requested Saturdays between 7 and 7 and did not request Sunday work," Herdigan said.

Council member Sumar emphasized that the resurfacing scope reduces the likelihood of encountering deep excavation that could require blasting or heavier reconstruction. On a motion by Council member Ingamman, seconded by Council member Sumar, the council approved the Saturday work-hour extension. The motion was recorded as approved on the record; no member raised opposition during the vote.

The engineer also provided an update on the water-system interconnect project: the city has received a flow meter to measure flow from Cottage Grove into Newport and is awaiting an Excel/utility upgrade to three-phase power along Century Avenue to serve the Cherrywood development and the metering vault; startup is expected toward the end of April, weather permitting.

No formal vote tally by name was recorded in the transcript; the council announced the extended hours as approved on the motion and second.