No summer vacation for city
Published 1:31 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
SNOQUALMIE – This summer, the city of Snoqualmie is planning a season with some of the most extensive public works upgrades it has seen yet.
“It’s going to be a busy summer,” said Public Works Director Kirk Holmes. “It’s going to be a test for the Public Works Department.”
Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated of the projects will be the beginning of the 205 project to widen the Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls.
“That one is a priority for me,” Holmes said, adding the project is on schedule.
Street improvements to Park Street, which include a complete reconstruction of gutters, drains and sidewalks, will occur at two stretches: from Schushman Avenue to Newton Avenue, and from Meadowbrook Avenue to the entrance of the new Tree Farm Sports Complex.
The project from Meadowbrook Avenue to the Tree Farm Sports Complex entrance will also include some traffic-calming measures, such as narrowing the streets and installing “bulb-outs,” sidewalk outcrops that curb speeds and provide parking.
Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co. will pay the $1.63 million bill for the new Tree Farm Sports Complex that will be located just southeast of Snoqualmie Elementary School. The complex, which broke ground in April, will include Little League fields and a football/soccer field.
In another project, the sidewalks of Maple Avenue will also be replaced due to existing damage.
Snoqualmie will update the sewer lift station near Railroad Place Southeast, a 60-year-old facility. That project includes power and pipe upgrades as well as an additional 1,800-foot pipe that will span the State Route 202 bridge over Kimball Creek.
Construction at Snoqualmie Ridge has prompted updates to the wastewater treatment plant and the digging of a new water well. Although the city will oversee the construction of and manage the projects once completed, they were both paid for by developers’ fees.
The city will also begin developing an action plan to disinfect its Canyon Creek water source, one of the two sources from which Snoqualmie city gets its water. The plan should be done by Aug. 1, with approval by the City Council expected shortly thereafter.
With the exception of the sewer lift station reconstruction, the wastewater treatment plant update and the well No. 8 development, Holmes said the projects will take between 30 and 45 days to complete. The other projects are expected to last about six to nine months.
Funding for the projects come from a variety of sources, including private companies, federal money and real-estate taxes.
Although Holmes said he doesn’t see any major traffic problems as a result of the road projects, he did expect some of the usual delays that accompany safety precautions such as slower speeds, partial closures and flaggers.
“I’m going to be asking the citizens for their patience,” Holmes said.
