By LEE HUGHES
Staff reporter
MEDICAL LAKE — The city is asking for bids from contractors to complete roadway projects funded by a $504,365 Washington State Transportation Improvement Board grant.
According to the advertisement for bids, the single project will be divided into two schedules of work. The first includes repairing streets suffering from deteriorating asphalt, which will be removed and replaced and, where necessary, the subsurface materials beneath dig out and replaced. The project also includes mitigating stormwater drainage and residential sump pump discharge.
Calling sump pumps a band-aid for some homeowners, City Administrator Doug Ross said part of the project provides “more comprehensive” alternatives to discharging sump pumps into the city sewer, which is illegal.
The second schedule includes installation of more stormwater pipe and construction of a shallow, 40-foot swale and other work.
Streets impacted by the work include Pineview, Evergreen, Stanley Drive and Sherman Avenue, Legg Street to Stanley Court and Barker and Fellows streets, according grant documents.
Initially expected to begin this past construction season, the work has been pushed back to the spring of 2020. Areas plagued by shallow groundwater may cause additional delays in the spring, according to Ross.
In addition to providing $26,545 in matching funds, the city was also required to sign an agreement that restricts the use of the TIB funds to street repairs. And although the agreement allows for minor changes and additional project development, the intended use of the funds cannot be substantially altered during the design and construction process from that specified in the grant application.
The grant can also be withdrawn for reasons including unreasonable project delays, according to TIB documents.
TIB grant money is derived from gas and fuel taxes and must be used specifically for roads.
The grant is part of the TIB Small City Arterial Program, or SCAP, that sets aside 3 cents of statewide gas taxes to fund projects in cities with a population of between 1,000 and 5,000, according to the TIB website.
SCAP requires grant recipients to contribute 5 percent of the grant amount.
The SCAP program is competitive. Just over $12 million was available from the program in the current grant cycle. Although 45 applications totaling over $21 million were submitted, only 26 projects were selected.
Washington state currently collects 49.4-cents for each gallon of gas and diesel fuel sold at the pump, an 11.9-cent increase from 2011 taxing levels, according to the Department of Revenue.
Interested contractors have until 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 31, to submit a bid to the city, when bids will be publically opened and read.
Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.
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