Council approves sidewalk construction
During Tuesday night’s Millwood City Council meeting, Matt Gillis of Welch Comer and Associates outlined a timeline for constructing a sidewalk along Buckeye Avenue.
Gillis expects the design to be completed and out to bid by mid-June. Award of the project is tentatively planned for the July council meeting, with construction beginning that month.
The project includes the construction of 1,950 feet of sidewalk along Buckeye Avenue’s north side between Argonne and Vista roads. The project also includes drainage, pedestrian ramps and flashing school zone signs.
Maintenance supervisor Cleve McCoul said the city made an agreement with Millwood School to add angled parking along the east side of the school grounds. This addresses the lack of parking during sporting events.
The proposed construction schedule is divided into two phases to accommodate the school’s schedule, Gillis said, with the project wrapped up by September.“Our goal is to be done just before school,” Gillis said.
The project is funded by a $261,345 Transportation Improvement Board grant awarded to the city last fall. The grant covers 95 percent of the project’s estimated cost. The city’s estimated portion is $13,755.
In other news, the council approved its annual six-year Transportation Improvement Program.
Among the projects on the list: Bridgeport Avenue resurfacing this year, Buckeye resurfacing in 2014, and construction of a 12-foot shared bike/pedestrian path north of the former railroad right-of-way in 2014.
The plan also outlines a street-by-street Pavement Condition Rating. The study, conducted in 2010 by the Transportation Improvement Board, determined the city’s average PCR is 79 percent.
Councilman Kevin Freeman asked McCoul to provide pricing to resurface the five roads where the PCR was between 25 and 50 percent.
“They look like they’re not very large segments,” Freeman said. “Maybe it is something we could attack out of street fund.”
The council further reconfirmed Koch Tennis Court Surfaces as the contractor to resurface and stripe the tennis and basketball courts. Koch, who was awarded the contract last month, had let its insurance lapse. At that point, the council could choose to either reconfirm the bid or put the resurfacing project back out to bid. Koch attained insurance earlier this month. The company’s bid was $20,402.
The council further approved a resolution supporting the continued operation of Felts Field Contract Tower. The resolution states the tower is a “critical and integral part of the operations of Felts Field” and that the council supports the legal action initiated by the Spokane International Airport.
“It’s purely a symbol of support,” City Attorney Brian Werst said about the resolution.
As a result of sequestration, the airport’s tower was identified as one of the 149 contract towers to be closed as of June 15. However, the FAA recently approved funds to staff the tower until Sept. 30.
To continue tower operations beyond September, the FAA needs to find a long-term funding solution.