Spokane, Medical Lake intertie bid approved

MEDICAL LAKE – Years in the making, Medical Lake’s water intertie with the city of Spokane moved an important step closer to fruition recently.

The low bid $651,692.45 from General Industries, Inc. from Spokane was accepted, but when the final steps are completed remains somewhat clouded by COVID-19. Contractors are idled by decree from Gov. Jay Inslee over in an effort to contain the so-called coronavirus and that has made Mayor Shirley Maike’s signing of the contract not a pressing matter.

Other’s in consideration for the project included N&N Excavation of Mead, Wash. at $662,692.31 and Coeur d’Alene’s NNAC Construction with a price of $728,791.47 out of a total of six bids, the highest being $823,861.

“We have worked with them before they do good work so we’re familiar with them,” City Administrator Doug Ross said.

For years, the figure floated around on the project has been in the ballpark of $500,000. But the job to bring emergency water to Medical Lake has been talked about for over a decade.

“The reason I think it’s higher than planned is because we’ve been planning this for so long,” Ross said. “I was trying to count back, I think the first time we, we talked about it was ,I want to say, 12 years ago.”

When asked back in late February what his expectations were for a timetable, “We do…not,” Ross said with some hesitation. Permits are in hand, but what’s on the global landscape is obviously complicating things.

“It is somewhat of a complicated matter and there are a lot of things at play here, not only because of the construction itself, but crossing state highway,” Ross said. “I will tell you, getting a franchise agreement to go underneath State Route 902 took a very long time.”

When it is complete, however, tying into Spokane’s very abundant Rathdrum Aquifer in the vicinity of State Route 902 and Craig Road will complete yet another puzzle piece to Medical Lake’s water system.

Also in the works is an upgrade of the current city system that also serves residents of Silver Lake in the Strathview Water District, as well as the community of Four Lakes. Recently a new pump station came online that is the initial step in upgrades that will smooth water delivery to the entire city.