Cheney council accepts bid for Sutton Park gazebo restoration

A popular feature of Cheney’s parks system will soon be receiving some much needed repair work.

The City Council voted 6-0 at its May 9 meeting to approve a $16,985 bid by Steve Moser Construction of Nine Mile Falls to repair the foundation of the Sutton Park Gazebo. The gazebo, which dates to the late 19th century and came to the city in 1984 from its previous location at Fort Wright College in Spokane, is in need of foundation work, mainly pouring of expanded concrete pads that will get other foundation elements up off the ground and replacing of rotted support posts.

Part of the contractor work also included shoring up the structure supporting the gazebo’s roof.

City Administrator Mark Schuller said the city utilized only one contractor in the bid process. The reason behind this, rather than seeking several bids, was that Moser was the only local contractor they could find who could come in quickly and do the work.

“Others were too busy or already backlogged (with work),” Schuller added.

Once the foundation work is complete the city hopes to elicit volunteers for other upgrades such as replacing the gazebo decking, railing and painting.

In other news, the council approved receipt of a $637,709 bid from Shamrock Paving for street preservation projects this summer, the largest portion, $380,781, being paving work on Simpson Parkway. Council approved a $701,500 appropriation for the quoted work and contingencies.

The city is receiving a $442,560 grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board’s Arterial Preservation Program to help pay for the Simpson Parkway work.

Council also approved a $34,560 bid by Five Star Concrete — $38,100 total covering contingencies — for sidewalk removal and replacement in several areas of the city, mostly in the Golden Hills area. Cheney has already seen some sidewalk work on First Street as part of the state Department of Transportation’s Eastern Washington Americans with Disabilities Act crossing service upgrades.

That work was done by the WSDOT in preparation for a larger repaving project of State Route 904 through Cheney from Betz to Mullinix roads. Public Works Director Todd Ableman said Shamrock is the contractor on that project as well, which should start in late June and terminate in late July, early August.

Ableman told the council WSDOT’s work shouldn’t impact the Cheney Rodeo Parade since the contractor will still be mobilizing or have just started the work. He also said there are no plans for a complete detour around downtown.

“We have the width (on First Street),” Ableman said. “They can do lane shifts.”

Finally, council approved a police department request to apply for funding from the federal COPS grant program. If successful, the funding would help the city offset some of the salary and benefit costs for the first three years of hiring a new, entry level police officer.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.