Electric City accepts bid for controversial work

Despite criticism from their fire chief, the postmaster and a businessperson who says she’ll lose two-thirds of her parking, the Electric City council last week accepted a $1.1 million bid from Wheeler Excavation for street and sidewalk work that could begin as soon as August.

Some of the projects have come under criticism from citizens in recent months.

A sidewalk project — along Coulee Boulevard from Taylor Avenue to Western Avenue, and from Western to Grand Avenue near city hall — has stirred controversy.

With the stretch of Western Avenue in front of city hall being eliminated, and the remaining space wrapped around with sidewalk, the fire chief and others argued that the added stops coming to and leaving the fire station will waste precious seconds in their response times to a fire.

And new sidewalks along Coulee Boulevard, Electric City’s main street, will take parking away from local businesses.

“I think this closure is a bad idea for businesses, to expect them to operate with two places to park; what’s that going to do with their property values, and businesses coming into town?” asked city council candidate Brian Buche during the public comment period of the meeting. “This has not been done well.”

Buche said he was “totally for” improvements like sidewalks, “but when it makes it hard for people to conduct business in our town, what are we gaining?”

Buche discouraged the council from accepting the bid.

Lynette Redfield, who owns a building that houses three businesses on Coulee Boulevard, said her parking spaces there will be reduced from six to two.

“Why are we trying to take away from the businesses in this town?” Redfield asked. “That’s not going to do me any good to lose my parking lot. There is nowhere else to park by my building.” Redfield said the existence of grant funding or bid specs don’t make a project fair or right.

“I am very much against this sidewalk,” she said, “and, yes, it’s going to drop my property values something fierce.”

Danette Pryor, the postmaster at the Electric City Post Office, said that various businesses’ overflow of customers who can’t find parking will likely park in the post office parking lot, despite signs saying, “Post Office Parking Only.”

“I think this is just going to be a big mess,” she said.

City Clerk Russ Powers explained that angled parking isn’t allowed on state highways when businesses are so close to the highway that you can’t back out safely.

Coulee Boulevard is also State Route 155.

“This was a finding of our project by [the Washington State Department of Transportation],” Powers added in an email later. “Each project/sidewalk/parking plan goes through a formal review process through WSDOT and they decide what plan they will allow.”

Councilmember Aaron Derr asked Powers if the city had sought community input on the projects or informed them in any way about them. Powers responded that the projects have been in the city’s Six-Year Street Plan, as well as its Parks and Recreation Plan.

The motion to accept the bid was passed unanimously by the four council members present.

Powers said construction could start as early as August.

Where the money goes

The $1,124,900.96 bid from Wheeler Excavation of Benton City, Washington includes four projects:

• replacing a water main along Grand Avenue for $231,322.49,

• installing a new fire station parking for $79,333.48,

• rebuilding Grand and Western Avenue streets and sidewalks for $549,332, paid for with grant money from Washington state’s Transportation Improvement Board and a $33,000 match from the city; and

• the sidewalk project along Coulee Boulevard and near city hall totalling $264,913, also paid for with TIB money, plus a $16,000 match from the city.