Steilacoom Town Council Update
On June 1 Steilacoom Town Council unanimously agreed to award the contract for the repair of the Martin Street culvert to Pile Contractors, Inc. The amount of the repair is not to exceed $781,658.95. “We had to settle on repair of the existing culvert as the other alternatives were either too expensive or would take too long to gain approval from a permitting standpoint,” said Public Works Director Mark Burlingame. “We need to have a solution in place and functioning before the autumn rains arrive or we could jeopardize the road and associated utilities.”
The project is slated to be completed by September 15. However, this is probably not the final chapter in the culvert story.
“The repair of the existing culvert will not meet WDFW fish passage requirements, and we anticipate we would have to revisit this culvert to implement a ‘fish passage solution’ sometime in the future when we have adequate resources (money) and time (for permitting) to implement it consistent with the requirements of the other regulatory agencies,” said Burlingame.
Under the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife requirements, the culvert should have a width of about 16 feet, much wider than the current 30 inch pipe, to allow for the passage of fish. There are no fish known to be in the channel, but WDFW regulations are based on the culvert’s ability to provide fish passage rather than whether there are fish in the area at the present time.
In February, a resident informed the Town of an unusually high water level in the ravine on the south side of Martin Street. Investigations determined that a corrugated metal pipe in the culvert had deteriorated. The resulting blockage caused water to bypass the culvert and saturate Martin Street. Due to safety concerns, Martin Street has been closed between Fourth and Fifth Streets since March 30. PanGEO, Inc. geotechnical engineering consultants advised the Town to carry out a permanent solution prior to October as they anticipate that heavy rains will cause the situation to worsen. Pile Contractors, which is based in Issaquah, has been in business since 1990.
Six Year Transportation Improvement Plan Approved
The Six Year Transportation Improvement Plan which was approved by the Town Council “does not contain any big surprises,” Burlingame stated in an email to the newspaper. “Staff is emphasizing preservation of our existing streets with either overlay projects or chip-seal projects.” Burlingame went on to say that due to the lack of grant funds available, the current TIP anticipates only Starling Street as a potential future reconstruction project. “Starling Street would be financed (presently) entirely with local funds and is recommended for reconstruction during the 2011-2012 timeframe, depending on available local funds,” said Burlingame.
In other news, town council members voted unanimously to engage Star Construction to replace the roof of the Steilacoom Community Center. The maximum cost of the new roof is $78,094.85.
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