This is the html version of the file http://www.tib.wa.gov/board/documents/notebooks/2018/January2018_Olympia.pdf. Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.
Tip: To quickly find your search term on this page, press Ctrl+F or ⌘-F (Mac) and use the find bar.
Transportation Improvement Board January 25-26, 2018 – Olympia, Washington Location: Ramada 4520 Martin Way E. Olympia, WA 985
Page 1
Transportation Improvement Board
January 25-26, 2018 – Olympia, Washington
Location:
Ramada
4520 Martin Way E.
Olympia, WA 98516
360-459-8866
January 25, 2018 – 2:00 p.m.
WORK SESSION AGENDA
Page
2:00 p.m. A. Welcome
Chair Stevens
GENERAL MATTERS
2:05 p.m. B. Draft WAC Revisions
Ashley Probart/Chris Workman 16
• Federal Match Program
• General updates
2:35 p.m. C. Annual Assessment Report
Vaughn Nelson 22
PROGRAM & PROJECT MATTERS
2:50 p.m. D. Project Action
Increase Request: City of Davenport
Gloria Bennett 15
3:10 p.m. E. Relight Washington Program update
Chris Workman/Ashley Probart 21
3:40 pm. F. Clark County GMA Hearing Board ruling
Ashley Probart/Marty Snell
4:00 p.m. F. Adjournment
Chair Stevens
Page 2
Transportation Improvement Board
January 25-26, 2018 – Olympia, Washington
Location:
Ramada
4520 Martin Way E.
Olympia, WA 98516
360-459-8866
January 26, 2018 – 9:00 a.m.
BOARD AGENDA
Page
9:00 a.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Stevens
9:05 a.m. 2. LOCAL PRESENTATIONS
9:40 a.m. 3. GENERAL MATTERS
A. Approval of November 17, 2017 Minutes
Chair Stevens
1
B. Communications
Ashley Probart
1. Thank You Note from Mayor of Chelan
26
2. Smarter Streetlights – American City & County
27
3. Road projects about a quarter of Langley’s $8.2 million… – South Whidbey Record 29
4. Shelton plans to improve Alder Street, Olympic Highway North – Kitsap Sun 31
5. Bellevue celebrates BelRed transportation projects – Bellevue Reporter
34
6. $3.8 Million Awarded for Long-Sought Borst Avenue Safety Project – The Chronicle 36
7. Bridgeport council awards Foster Creek sidewalk contract… – Quad City Herald 38
8. Electric City expects $1 million in improvements – The Star
40
9. FOLLOWUP: State grant denied for Highland Park Way… – West Seattle Blog 41
10. Quincy roundabout tops state grants list for NCW… – The Wenatchee World 45
11. Kenmore awarded $28 million for West Sammamish… – Bothell-Kenmore Reporter 47
12. City receives more than $5 million for road, sidewalk… – Kirkland Reporter
49
13. Grants to help fund town road repairs – Whidbey News-Times
51
14. Jeanne Burbidge, city’s longest serving council member… – Federal Way Mirror 52
15. BG traffic projects: South Parkway, phase 1 of 502/503… – The Reflector
55
16. State: Grant can’t pay for First Street repave – South Whidbey Record
57
17. Elmer City's proposed trail to go out for bids – The Star
59
18. Twisp sees the light with new street fixtures – Mathow Valley News
60
19. City of Bothell update on Main Street, streets and… – Bothell-Kenmore Reporter 62
20. Downtown Bothell project delayed – Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
63
21. City, PUD 3 work to brighten Shelton – Kitsap Sun
65
22. Improvements to come to Second Ave in the new year – My Columbia Basin
67
23. Construction on Water Street in Port Townsend to… – Peninsula Daily News 68
24. Judge clears way for start of Duportail bridge – Tri-City Herald
70
25. City accepts grant for Auburn Way North project – Auburn Reporter
72
26. Kent’s new South 224th Street overpass to cross Highway 167 – Kent Reporter 73
27. Sedro-Woolley road projects emphasize city development – go Skagit
75
28. Construction to make Fir Street one-way – Peninsula Daily News
77
29. New city-owned nursery replaces trees, saves money for… – The News Tribune 79
30. Second Avenue overhaul in works from Rose Street to… – Union-Bulletin
81
31. Poulsbo hires lobbying firm – Kitsap Sun
83
32. Tumwater’s plan to tackle 1 problem intersection? Add 3... – The Olympian
85
33. Battle Ground converting to energy-efficient LED streetlights – The Reflector 87
Page 3
Transportation Improvement Board
January 25-26, 2018 – Olympia, Washington
Location:
Ramada
4520 Martin Way E.
Olympia, WA 98516
360-459-8866
9:50 a.m. 4. NON–ACTION ITEMS
A. Executive Director’s Report
Ashley Probart
B. Financial Report
Vaughn Nelson
C. Project Activity Report (11/1/17 – 12/31/17)
Chris Workman 5
10:15 a.m. 5. ACTION ITEMS
A. Increase Request: City of Davenport
Gloria Bennett 15
B. Review of Draft WAC Revisions
Ashley Probart 16
• Federal Match Program
• General updates
C. Relight Washington Program
Ashley Probart/Chris Workman 21
10:45 a.m. 6. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Stevens
FUTURE MEETINGS
March 22-23 (Yakima)
May 17-18 (Bremerton)
September 27-28 (Pullman)
November 15-16 (SeaTac)
Page 4
Transportation Improvement Board
November 17, 2017
Arterial Barracks
Vancouver, Washington
NOTES
TIB BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Commissioner Richard Stevens, Chair
Mayor Patty Lent, Vice Chair
Ms. Amy Asher
Mr. Aaron Butters, P.E.
Mr. Jeff Carpenter, P.E.
Ms. Barbara Chamberlain
Ms. Elizabeth Chamberlain
Ms. Wendy Clark-Getzin
Mr. Gary Ekstedt, P.E.
Mayor Glenn Johnson
Mr. John Klekotka, P.E.
Mayor Ron Lucas
Mr. Mick Matheson
Ms. Laura Philpot
Mr. David Ramsay
Mr. Martin Snell
TIB STAFF
Ashley Probart
Vaughn Nelson
Chris Workman, P.E.
Jason Phelps, P.E.
Greg Armstrong, P.E.
Gloria Bennett, P.E.
Christa Draggie, P.E.
Kelsey Davis /recorder
TIB Members; Commissioner Terri Drexler, Commissioner Bob Koch, Mr. John Koster, Ms. Colleen
Kuhn, and Ms. E. Susan Meyer were excused.
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Stevens called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
2. LOCAL PRESENTAITONS
Eric Holmes, Vancouver city manager, welcomed the board to the city at the Thursday work session.
Matt Ransom director for Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council spoke regarding
the work they do helping local agencies with road projects. He touched on the relationship between
RTC and TIB, and said that RTC considers their program to be a lead in, or a seed program, to help
agencies apply to TIB. The criteria is similar to TIB criteria and RTC designs their cycle to be
wrapped up by early fall so applicants can know their status prior to when TIB applications are due.
Ryan Lopossa, Senior Civil Engineer for the City of Vancouver shared with the board city facts and
some of the goals and challenges for the area. The city and local private developers are investing
heavily on the waterfront to redevelop the area and reconnect the city. Vancouver adopted its
complete ordinance in 2017. The city has identified the Mcloughlin Boulevard project which will
complete their “Scottish corridor” and make the area friendlier to alternate travel modes.
Scott Sawyer, Public Works Director of the City of Battleground, introduced the city and highlighted
a few projects they have been able to complete with TIB funding. They were also able to take
advantage of the TIB emergency repair project in multiple areas across the city. They are starting
their Relight Washington program and are excited for the conversion to LED and the accompanying
savings they are expecting.
pg 1
Page 5
Heath Henderson, Clark County Public Works Director and County Engineer, spoke about the
benefits the county has received because of projects completed with TIB funding. Over the past 10
years 7 projects have been completed with the help of $27.1 million from TIB including; the Salmon
Creek interchange was a project which also partnered with WSDOT, 119th Street corridor which
improved connectivity and 10th Avenue corridor which includes a new bridge and provides another
north south connection to the fair grounds.
3. GENERAL MATTERS
A. Approval of September 17, 2017 Minutes
MOTION: It was moved by Mayor Lent with a second by Mayor Johnson to approve the
minutes of the September 17, 2017 board meeting.
Motion carried unanimously.
B. Communications
Ashley Probart discussed communications included in the board packet.
One highlight was an update on the city of Black Diamond. Their Board approved scope
change in May 2017 did result in getting the project underway and completed this past
summer.
4. NON-ACTION ITEMS
A. Executive Director Report – Ashley Probart reported on the following:
• Mr. Workman recently attended NACTO, a conference about small town rural design
and how to accomplish complete streets and good designs in rural settings. He brought
back many good ideas. Representatives from Sequim also attended from Washington.
• Mr. Probart presented to the joint transportation committee regarding the emergency
repair program and the discussion went very well.
• Mr. Probart and the TIB engineers attended APWA and IACC conferences which
provided good networking opportunities. At IACC rural cities and counties, sewer,
water, transportation and other issues were explored. It was a good problem solving and
brainstorming opportunity. They were also good opportunities to partner with local
jurisdictions.
• Project Events
o Kennewick – Bob Olson Parkway
o Liberty Lake- Liberty Lake Drive
o Port Townsend- Howard Street/Rainier Avenue-Roundabout
o Des Moines- S. 216th Street
• Upcoming Events
o Bellevue-Bel-Red area - Four projects: NE 4th Street, 120th Avenue N, 124th
Avenue N, Spring Boulevard
• Mr. Probart has met with three of the four members of transportation leadership
regrading codifying funding; so far he has met with no objections at legislative level.
• There are three separate statutes that deal with distribution of funds. Mr. Probart has
talked with Senator King, Representative Orcutt and Representative Clibborn, about
how these pieces of legislation trip over each other and how it may be simpler to change
to simply a geographic diversity with some additional language which would allow for
borrowing within a few ears to allow for larger projects from time to time.
• One change which will be in the proposed WAC changes will be to give the board the
ability to withhold about 10% for federal matching purposes. Currently this is a strict
pg 2
Page 6
first come first served system but requests are getting larger which is making it more
difficult to distribute the funds fairly and most effectively.
• Mr. Probart also talked about Connecting Washington by giving a snapshot of projects
that applied for TIB funding. Two of five were suggested for funding. Many of the
projects are large in both scope and budget; funding gaps still exist after they received
Connecting Washington funding.
B. Financial Report – Vaughn Nelson reported on the following:
The following is based on information available on the TIB public dashboard.
• Showed one page from the new dashboard which is being developed in house.
• Mr. Nelson also provided a sample of the new mapping system and stated it has had
positive reviews from cities saying it easily shows all the projects for each city.
• The fund balance is at its lowest since Jan 2014. It was high at the beginning of the
biennium and has been trending downward as funding requests come in. These requests
brought the balance down to about $34 million. This is exciting because it confirms the
expected result from the larger calls over the last two years which were designed to
bring the balance to a more targeted level.
• Staff is hoping the balance will come down to near $20 million as a low for the year.
This represents bills for three months and would get TIB through in the case of an
emergency.
• It is expected that about 30% will be paid in any given year so this sets us up to be on
track to properly spend TIB funding at a rate that is offset by incoming revenues.
• The 2017 call is being presented as a maintenance level or traditional funding for
projects call.
• At the September 2017 meeting there was a presentation from Reema Griffith regarding
possible alternates to gas tax.
• On October 13, 2017 TIB received $48,569.54 from the department of licensing from
the electric car licensing. TIB receives 15% of any fees over the threshold of 1 million.
C. Project Activity Report – Chris Workman reported on the following:
The following activity took place in September through October 2017.
• Majority of actions were close outs as is common for this time of year.
• This is very normal for our usual cycle
• Last meeting, the total was much higher due to more bid authorizations and bid award
activity.
• In total there was about a $1.5 million surplus.
• Notable Events
o Urban Arterial Program (UAP)
Yakima – N. 1st Street, Withdrawn $1,500,000
5. ACTION ITEM
A. 2017 Project Selection
The preliminary target size for project selection approved at the May 2017 board meeting was
$114 million. Approximately $2 million of the unallocated funds from the Emergency
Pavement Repair Program has been added back to the call size for a proposed amount of
$116 million.
The following table shows the target funding level approved by the board, the recommended
program funding levels based on the proposed Priority Array, and total project cost in each
program.
pg 3
Page 7
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED FUNDING
Program
Board
Proposed
Funding Level
Number of
Recommended
Projects
Recommended
TIB Funds
Total Project
Cost
Urban Arterial Program
$75,000,000
28
$76,827,335
$268,530,373
Urban Sidewalk Program
$5,000,000
17
$4,999,875
$11,784,556
Arterial Preservation Program
$10,000,000
22
$9,197,805
$11,060,986
Small City Arterial Program
$15,000,000
27
$15,573,086
$18,794,393
Small City Sidewalk Program
$3,000,000
12
$2,771,496
$3,290,600
Small City Preservation Program
$6,000,000
42
$6,501,358
$9,593,582
TOTAL $114,000,000
148
$115,870,955
$323,054,490
MOTION: It was moved by Mayor Lent with a second by Mayor Johnson to adopt the FY
2019 Priority Array as presented.
Motion carried unanimously.
Award letters will go out on Monday. Elected officials received award letters and one letter is sent to the
project lead with all the paperwork they need to complete to move forward. Staff will also notify the
jurisdictions who were not selected along with a debrief opportunity to find out how to make their
projects more likely to receive funding the following ear.
6. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 10:36 a.m.
pg 4
Page 8
APP Program
3-W-189(005)-1
ABERDEEN
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
31,026
-6,171
Director
CC FV AD
3-P-144(003)-1
BRIER
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
22,500
0
Director
DE
3-E-177(003)-1
COLLEGE PLACE
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Withdrawn
0
-288,957
Director
WD
3-P-124(004)-1
ENUMCLAW
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
520,582
0
Director
CC FV AD
3-P-124(005)-1
ENUMCLAW
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Audit
201,926
-10,593
Director
CC FV AD
3-E-164(003)-1
EPHRATA
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
229,669
-18,065
Director
CC FV AD
3-E-183(005)-1
GRANDVIEW
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Audit
350,210
0
Director
FV AD
3-E-988(001)-1
LIBERTY LAKE
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
50,000
0
Director
FV AD
3-W-839(003)-1
LYNDEN
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
77,586
0
Director
DE
3-P-200(002)-1
NEWCASTLE
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
362,150
-69,783
Director
CC FV AD
3-P-117(003)-1
PACIFIC
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
295,733
-55,428
Director
CC FV AD
3-P-117(006)-1
PACIFIC
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
34,184
0
Director
DE
3-W-151(002)-1
PORT TOWNSEND
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Bid Award
690,000
0
Director
BA
3-W-950(001)-1
RIDGEFIELD
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
395,332
0
Director
FV AD
3-W-126(005)-1
SEDRO WOOLLEY
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
11,076
0
Director
DE
3-W-194(003)-1
SHELTON
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
6,425
0
Director
DE
3-P-142(005)-1
SNOHOMISH
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
17,000
0
Director
DE
3-P-823(004)-1
STANWOOD
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
42,608
0
Director
DE
3-P-133(004)-1
STEILACOOM
FY 2017 Arterial Preservation Project
Audit
558,736
23,410
Director
CC FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 9
3-E-946(003)-1
WAPATO
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
34,900
-596
Director
CC FV AD
3-W-978(004)-1
YELM
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
18,708
0
Director
FV AD
Total APP Change
-426,183
LED Program
S-E-907(001)-1
ALBION
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
24,300
-450
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-868(001)-1
ALMIRA
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
35,100
18,450
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-876(001)-1
BREWSTER
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
42,966
2,416
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-170(001)-1
CLARKSTON
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
181,350
43,650
Director
CC FV AD
S-P-115(001)-1
CLYDE HILL
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
116,576
96,976
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-986(002)-1
COLFAX
LED Streetlight Conversion
Bid Award
46,218
0
Director
DE CN BA
S-E-902(003)-1
COLVILLE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
14,261
561
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-877(001)-1
CONCONULLY
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
13,427
0
Director
FV AD
S-E-926(001)-1
CONNELL
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
58,406
-52,694
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-869(001)-1
CRESTON
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
14,400
-2,700
Director
CC FV AD
S-P-802(001)-1
DUVALL
LED Streetlight Conversion
Bid Award
183,150
0
Director
DE CN BA
S-E-909(001)-1
ENDICOTT
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
25,650
-1,350
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-910(001)-1
FARMINGTON
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
20,700
0
Director
FV AD
S-E-911(001)-1
GARFIELD
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
36,900
5,400
Director
CC FV AD
S-W-834(001)-1
LA CONNER
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
63,183
41,583
Director
CC FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 10
S-E-912(001)-1
LACROSSE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
26,100
-900
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-843(001)-1
LIND
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
37,350
0
Director
FV AD
S-E-914(001)-1
MALDEN
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
16,200
-8,550
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-852(001)-1
MANSFIELD
LED Streetlight Conversion
Bid Award
7,700
0
Director
DE CN BA
S-E-897(001)-1
MEDICAL LAKE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
104,850
450
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-891(001)-1
METALINE FALLS
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
25,489
0
Director
FV AD
S-E-892(001)-1
NEWPORT
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
59,772
3,882
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-915(001)-1
OAKESDALE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Contract Completion
33,300
450
Director
CC
S-E-987(001)-1
OMAK
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
181,551
12,851
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-882(001)-1
OROVILLE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
86,963
0
Director
FV AD
S-E-883(001)-1
PATEROS
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
32,516
2,016
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-167(001)-1
PULLMAN
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
35,862
-44,568
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-167(002)-1
PULLMAN
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
545,850
22,500
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-873(001)-1
REARDAN
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
30,600
1,350
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-845(002)-1
RITZVILLE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
94,500
1,800
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-853(001)-1
ROCK ISLAND
LED Streetlight Conversion
Bid Award
8,700
0
Director
DE CN BA
S-E-917(001)-1
ROSALIA
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
37,800
13,050
Director
CC FV AD
S-W-972(001)-1
SOUTH BEND
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
70,645
-1,355
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-899(001)-1
SPANGLE
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
17,100
-10,350
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-918(001)-1
ST. JOHN
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
34,650
5,850
Director
CC FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 11
S-E-885(001)-1
TONASKET
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
58,260
3,960
Director
CC FV AD
S-E-886(001)-1
TWISP
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
37,647
647
Director
CC FV AD
S-W-186(001)-1
WASHOUGAL
LED Streetlight Conversion
Bid Award
238,689
133,287
Director
DE CN BA
S-E-875(001)-1
WILBUR
LED Streetlight Conversion
Audit
47,700
-450
Director
CC FV AD
Total LED Change
287,762
SCAP Program
6-P-800(002)-1
BLACK DIAMOND
Roberts Drive
Audit
1,169,914
18,152
Director
CC FV AD
6-E-901(006)-1
CHEWELAH
Ehorn Lane & Lincoln Avenue
Bid Award
818,989
72,989
Director
BA
6-W-832(006)-1
CONCRETE
Cedar Street
Design
52,250
0
Director
DE
6-E-878(006)-1
COULEE DAM
Civic Way, Cedar Street, Tulip Street, Crest
Drive
Construction
91,681
0
Director
CN
6-W-827(I09)-1
COUPEVILLE
Madrona Way Improvements
Audit
80,476
-2,649
Director
CC FV AD
6-W-838(008)-1
EVERSON
Reeds Lane and Emerson Road
Design
200,166
0
Director
DE
6-W-825(008)-1
FORKS
Elderberry Ave
Design
56,718
0
Board
DE
6-W-831(I05)-1
FRIDAY HARBOR
Tucker Avenue Reconstruction
Bid Award
283,085
0
Director
BA
6-P-820(008)-1
GRANITE FALLS
Burn Road
Design
40,155
0
Director
DE
6-E-871(009)-1
HARRINGTON
Second Street
Audit
570,938
-21,005
Director
CC FV AD
6-W-953(I09)-1
KALAMA
E Frontage Road
Audit
63,453
-2
Director
CC FV AD
6-E-850(011)-1
LEAVENWORTH
Pine Street
Design
0
0
Director
DE
6-E-852(007)-1
MANSFIELD
Second Avenue
Audit
365,547
53,093
Director
CC FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 12
6-E-915(005)-1
OAKESDALE
Pearl/First/McCoy Streets
Audit
952,378
24,215
Director
CC FV AD
6-E-987(005)-1
OMAK
S Cedar Street, Central Avenue W, Ash Street
N
Audit
1,076,944
84,949
Director
CC FV AD
6-W-964(007)-1
PE ELL
W 5th & 6th Avenue/Pe Ell-McDonald Road
Audit
630,927
-10,200
Director
CC FV AD
6-E-845(006)-1
RITZVILLE
1st Avenue
Design
67,319
0
Director
DE
6-W-972(008)-1
SOUTH BEND
1st and Kendrick Streets
Design
59,100
0
Director
DE
6-E-945(004)-1
TIETON
South Tieton Road
Design
82,211
0
Director
DE
6-E-885(I04)-1
TONASKET
SR 97 Pedestrian Improvements
Audit
27,270
0
Director
CC FV AD
6-W-960(004)-1
WESTPORT
North Wildon Avenue
Design
64,265
0
Director
DE
6-W-968(008)-1
WINLOCK
SE 1st Street
Design
68,400
0
Director
DE
6-E-887(I05)-1
WINTHROP
Upper Bluff Street
Audit
139,854
0
Director
FV AD
Total SCAP Change
219,542
SCPP Program
2-E-921(001)-1
ASOTIN
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Construction
0
0
Director
DE CN
2-E-921(002)-1
ASOTIN
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
20,790
0
Director
DE
2-P-800(005)-1
BLACK DIAMOND
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Audit
28,547
-29,123
Director
CC FV AD
2-P-808(004)-1
BUCKLEY
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
47,935
0
Director
FV AD
2-P-808(005)-1
BUCKLEY
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
9,024
0
Director
DE
2-W-975(001)-1
BUCODA
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
10,105
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-901(002)-1
CHEWELAH
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
29,785
0
Director
FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 13
2-E-930(004)-1
CLE ELUM
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
18,620
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-908(002)-1
COLTON
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Design
0
0
Director
DE
2-W-827(004)-1
COUPEVILLE
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Audit
37,375
-26,024
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-870(002)-1
DAVENPORT
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
47,958
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-870(003)-1
DAVENPORT
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Bid Award
18,482
0
Director
DE CN BA
2-E-910(001)-1
FARMINGTON
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
62,442
-24,334
Director
CC FV AD
2-W-831(004)-1
FRIDAY HARBOR
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
26,941
0
Director
DE
2-E-911(007)-1
GARFIELD
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
92,686
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-858(003)-1
GEORGE
FY 2018 Rehabilitation Project
Audit
264,354
-18,396
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-858(005)-1
GEORGE
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
37,050
0
Director
DE
2-E-940(004)-1
GRANGER
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
34,190
-15,035
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-931(009)-1
KITTITAS
FY 2018 Overlay Project
Audit
76,070
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-931(010)-1
KITTITAS
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
14,950
0
Director
DE
2-W-949(003)-1
LA CENTER
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
28,628
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-843(001)-1
LIND
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
7,029
0
Director
DE
2-E-942(003)-1
MABTON
FY 2017 Overlay Project
Contract Completion
315,208
-13,762
Director
CC
2-E-852(004)-1
MANSFIELD
FY 2017 Overlay Project
Audit
98,801
-29
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-862(008)-1
MATTAWA
FY 2018 Rehabilitation Project
Audit
334,241
-5,939
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-897(005)-1
MEDICAL LAKE
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
36,061
0
Director
FV AD
2-P-109(002)-1
MEDINA
FY 2019 Overlay Project
Design
19,800
0
Director
DE
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 14
2-W-961(005)-1
MORTON
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Withdrawn
0
-46,270
Director
WD
2-W-962(003)-1
MOSSYROCK
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Contract Completion
53,831
-22,790
Director
CC
2-W-962(004)-1
MOSSYROCK
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
8,785
4,345
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-944(001)-1
NACHES
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
41,000
0
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-944(002)-1
NACHES
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Design
0
0
Director
DE
2-W-973(001)-1
NORTH BONNEVILLE
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
23,238
5,158
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-872(003)-1
ODESSA
FY 2019 Rehabilitation Project
Design
19,415
0
Director
DE
2-E-916(007)-1
PALOUSE
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Design
0
0
Director
DE
2-E-929(004)-1
POMEROY
FY 2019 Seal Coat Project
Design
0
0
Director
DE
2-E-845(006)-1
RITZVILLE
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
39,728
0
Director
FV AD
2-W-972(006)-1
SOUTH BEND
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
44,795
0
Director
FV AD
2-E-919(002)-1
TEKOA
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
16,633
0
Director
FV AD
2-W-965(002)-1
TOLEDO
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
27,855
-9,724
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-936(002)-1
WHITE SALMON
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
76,374
-55,208
Director
CC FV AD
2-E-936(003)-1
WHITE SALMON
2017 Emergency Pavement Repair Project
Audit
11,606
0
Director
FV AD
2-W-968(002)-1
WINLOCK
FY 2018 Seal Coat Project
Audit
32,015
18,019
Director
CC FV AD
Total SCPP Change
-239,112
SP Program
P-P-119(P01)-1
ALGONA
1st Avenue N
Audit
235,711
7,533
Director
CC FV AD
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 15
P-P-818(P02)-1
DARRINGTON
Givens Avenue
Design
40,500
0
Director
DE
P-P-110(P01)-1
DES MOINES
Redondo Beach Drive S
Audit
402,295
50,000
Director
CC FV AD
P-P-130(P01)-1
FIRCREST
Emerson Street
Audit
555,450
20,914
Director
CC FV AD
P-P-820(P03)-1
GRANITE FALLS
Alder Avenue
Design
23,166
0
Director
DE
P-W-834(P02)-1
LA CONNER
State Street
Design
3,000
0
Director
DE
P-P-199(P07)-1
LAKEWOOD
Gravelly Lake Drive
Audit
242,193
19,956
Director
CC FV AD
P-E-987(P03)-1
OMAK
1st Avenue W; Cedar Street S; Central
Avenue W; Omak Avenue (SR 155)
Audit
319,737
-33,325
Director
CC FV AD
P-P-027(P06)-1
PIERCE COUNTY
160th Street E
Audit
240,921
9,049
Director
CC FV AD
P-W-971(P02)-1
RAYMOND
Park Avenue
Design
17,539
0
Director
DE
P-W-126(P04)-1
SEDRO WOOLLEY
SR 20
Design
27,370
0
Director
DE
P-E-920(P01)-1
UNIONTOWN
SR 195 (Montgomery Street)
Bid Award
343,262
37,034
Director
CN BA
P-W-184(P08)-1
VANCOUVER
Fourth Plain Boulevard
Design
0
0
Director
DE
Total SP Change
111,161
UAP Program
8-2-156(040)-1
BELLINGHAM
Mahogany Avenue/Artic Avenue
Construction
0
0
Director
CN
8-4-177(006)-1
COLLEGE PLACE
College Avenue & Rose Street
Audit
2,346,126
200,142
Director
CC FV AD
8-4-177(008)-1
COLLEGE PLACE
SW 4th Street and SW Academy Way
Design
0
0
Director
DE
8-4-175(018)-1
ELLENSBURG
Vantage Highway
Audit
646,587
0
Director
CC FV AD
8-1-134(015)-1
FIFE
Port of Tacoma Road Interchange with I-5
Construction
0
0
Director
CN
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 16
8-2-018(007)-1
KITSAP COUNTY
NW Bucklin Hill Road
Audit
4,000,000
0
Director
CC FV AD
8-5-197(025)-1
LACEY
Marvin Road NE
Audit
1,640,200
20,724
Director
CC FV AD
8-1-140(020)-1
LYNNWOOD
36th Avenue W
Construction
0
0
Director
CN
8-1-141(007)-1
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
236th Street SW
Design
0
0
Director
DE
8-1-117(007)-1
PACIFIC
Stewart Road (8th Street East)
Design
1,710,000
0
Director
DE
8-4-174(019)-1
PASCO
Oregon Avenue (SR 397)
Bid Award
4,864,500
634,500
Director
BA
8-1-027(068)-1
PIERCE COUNTY
Stone Drive NW/34th Avenue NW
Construction
510,708
0
Director
CN
8-1-129(018)-1
PUYALLUP
39th Avenue SW
Audit
3,656,903
0
Director
CC FV AD
8-1-101(157)-2
SEATTLE
23rd Avenue
Construction
220,799
0
Director
CN
8-1-101(159)-1
SEATTLE
S Lander Street
Bid Award
2,617,777
-1,382,223
Director
DE CN BA
8-2-126(011)-1
SEDRO WOOLLEY
Fruitdale Road
Design
0
0
Director
DE
8-5-194(011)-1
SHELTON
Alder Street/Olympic Hwy N
Design
384,195
0
Director
DE
8-3-032(068)-1
SPOKANE COUNTY
Argonne Road
Audit
714,997
7,138
Director
CC FV AD
8-1-116(010)-1
TUKWILA
Interurban Avenue S
Audit
4,888,454
750,000
Director
CC FV AD
8-1-198(005)-1
WOODINVILLE
SR 202 (NE 175th Street)
Construction
0
0
Director
CN
Total UAP Change
230,281
UCP Program
9-E-165(018)-1
SPOKANE
Martin Luther King Jr Way Phase 2
Audit
600,000
0
Director
CC FV AD
Total UCP Change
0
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
Page 17
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board
Project Activity Report
Reporting Period
From 11/01/2017 to 12/31/2017
Project ID
Agency
Project Description
Current Phase
Total TIB
Funds
Change in
TIB Funds
Approval
Phases
183,450
Total Change
PND - Pending
PD - Predesign
DE - Design
CN - Construction
BA - Bid Award
CC - Contract Completion
FV - Final Voucher
AD - Audit
WD - Withdrawn
Page 18
Bid Award Increase and Scope Change Request
City of Davenport – 7th Street and Park Street Sidewalk
January 26, 2018
BACKGROUND
The city received $428,331 in funding for a sidewalk project in November 2016. The project removes and
replaces the hazardous and failing stone retaining walls on both sides and deteriorated sidewalk along 7th
Street. On Park Street, the project constructs sidewalk along the south side of the street.
The city advertised the project in July 2017 with a bid opening in August 2017. TIB staff cautioned the city
that the bid was late in the year and receipt of a competitive bid was unlikely. The city received three bids
but all were above the engineer’s estimate. The city rejected bids in hopes that rebidding the project at a
more favorable time would yield better results.
The city advertised the contract for the second time in December 2017 with bid opening on December 21,
2017. Three responsive bids were received. Again, all three bids are above the engineer’s estimate.
However, the costs were marginally lower than the first bid.
STATUS
The Executive Director is authorized to grant increases of up to $50,000 for sidewalk projects. However,
the city is requesting a $74,580 increase in TIB funds so they can go forward with the construction of the
base bid. The base bid includes sidewalk and wall replacement along 7th Street, minor sidewalk repair on
Park Street and installation of ADA ramps on Park at 7th Street and 6th Street intersections.
The original scope included construction of a sidewalk on the south side of Park Street. Sidewalk exists on
the north side of Park Street. Due to the high bids, the city requests amending the scope to exclude
sidewalk on the south side of Park.
Since the base bid includes ADA upgrades to the Park Street north side sidewalk, the reduced scope
provides the same connectivity as the original scope.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends:
• Approval of the scope change to omit the Park Street south side sidewalk; and
• A $74,580 increase for a $502,911 TIB fund total and approval to award the contract to the low
bidder Wm. Winkler Company.
pg 15
Page 19
State of Washington
Transportation Improvement Board
Chapter 479 Washington Administrative Code Proposed Revisions
January 26, 2018
BACKGROUND
Updating the Transportation Improvement Board’s Washington Administrative Codes (WACs) typically results in a six
month process if all filing dates are met. The WAC rule-making process requires filing a “CR-102,” which identifies
proposed WAC changes for public comment. Additional steps include publishing proposed WAC changes in a
register, a Board hearing, adoption of proposed changes, and filing the changes with the Code Reviser’s office.
WAC revisions have been identified in several areas and the proposal is to adopt revisions and modifications that
can be communicated in time for our summer workshops and annual call for projects. Five issue areas and nine
WAC’s will be discussed at the Board meeting:
• Recommending changes to the small city federal match program;
• There is an omission in the emergent nature definition of project submissions;
• The definition of eligible work within previously funded project termini has become a potential barrier to
funding otherwise qualified projects;
• Award criteria for the sidewalk program could be enhanced; and
• Harmonizing matching requirements for the sidewalk program to be consistent with matching requirements
for other TIB programs.
All current TIB WACs can be viewed at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=479
STATUS
Proposed WAC revisions to Chapters 479-05, 479-06, and 479-14 are found on pages 17-20. A summary of the
proposed changes are identified below.
WAC
Description
Difference Summary
479-05-012 Emergent nature project
submission and limitations
Revised
Technical correction and broadens definition to
include federal/state declared emergency eligibility.
479-06-080 Final Settlement
Revised
Facilitates project close-out when 95% of funds have
been expended.
479-14-006 Previously funded projects
Revised
Clarifies the previously funded projects limitation
applies to the small city and urban arterial programs;
allows traffic demand, new technology to be eligible
479-14-215 Small city match funding
allocation
Revised
Proposes that executive director will recommend
annual federal funding match allocations to the board.
479-14-270 Small city federal match funding
eligibility and application
Revised
Requires small cities to use small city arterial program
application form.
479-14-271 Restriction on use of small city
federal match funding
Partial
Repeal
Repeals requirement that all other local funding
sources must be sought before applying to TIB
479-14-272 Small city federal match funding
priority
Repealed Repeals the first-come, first funded priority.
479-14-431 Award criteria for the sidewalk
program
Enhanced Eligibility criteria would include latecomer agreement
eligibility; sustainability criteria is updated
479-14-431 Matching requirement for the
sidewalk program
Updated Matching requirements are updated and harmonized
to be consistent with other TIB programs.
RECOMMENDATION
The Board is requested to complete the CR-102 requirements of the rule making process and approve a public
comment hearing at the March 22-23 board meeting.
pg 16
Page 20
Transportation Improvement Board
Proposed Washington Administrative Code Changes
January 26, 2018
WAC 479-05-012 Emergent nature project submission and limitations.
An eligible agency may request the transportation improvement board consider a project for
funding outside of the normal call for projects. To be considered as emergent nature, a project
must demonstrate one or more of the following:
(1) There has been a significant change in the location or development of traffic generators in
the area of the project.
(2) The work proposed is necessary to avoid or reduce serious traffic congestion in the area of
the project in the near future.
(3) A partially funded project that, if completed, would enable a community to secure an
unanticipated economic development opportunity.
(4) Other funding sources the local agency has applied for or secured for the project.
(5) The funding of the project would not adversely impact currently funded projects.
(6) The project request is a result of a federal or state declared emergency and must be funded
prior to the normal call for projects.
The agency may be asked to make a presentation to the board on the project.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 07-18-050, § 479-05-012, filed 8/30/07, effective 9/30/07.]
WAC 479-06-080 Final settlement.
Up to five percent of total transportation improvement board funds may be retained until the
agency submits final, complete, and accurate closeout documentation for a project.
A unilateral closeout of a project may be initiated by the board or executive director when an
agency has not responded to requests for final documentation. and all funds are expended.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 07-18-050, § 479-06-080, filed 8/30/07, effective 9/30/07.]
WAC 479-14-006 Previously funded projects.
Projects are not eligible to compete for funding within the termini limits of a previously funded
project for a period of ten years from contract completion.
Exceptions: The executive director may consider project applications during the normal call for
projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:
(1) A project that is divided into multiple phases;
(1) Installation of traffic demand or system management improvements based on updated
warrants;
(2) New technology, standards, or FHWA approvals (i.e. LED technology) that was not
available when the project was previously funded;
(3) Have previously received preservation program funding.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 07-18-050, § 479-14-006, filed 8/30/07, effective 9/30/07.]
pg 17
Page 21
WAC 479-14-215 Small city match funding allocation.
Within the small city arterial program, up to ten percent of the annual allocation may be
portioned as an amount available for small cities to match the minimum federal funding match
required provided for local government federal aid of transportation projects., on a first
come/first served basis.
(1) The executive director shall recommend annual federal funding match allocations to the
board that will be awarded during the normal call for projects.
(2) The executive director shall recommend annual federal funding match allocations to the
board that will be available from December 1st to November 30th of the following year for
emergent federal match projects. The board or the executive director may select emergent
federal match projects based on need, economy of scale opportunities, and criteria listed
in WAC 479-05-012.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-215, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
WAC 479-14-270 Small city federal match funding eligibility and application.
Cities with a population under five thousand may request grant funds to match a federal
grant as part of the normal call for projects. The project must:
(1) Meet TIB eligibility requirements for the small city arterial program described under
WAC 479-14-221; and
(2) Submit a TIB funding small city arterial program application form must be submitted
to apply for federal match funding.
Cities with a population under five thousand may request grant funds to match federal
transportation funding for emergent federal match projects. The project must:
(1) Meet TIB eligibility requirements for the small city arterial program described under
WAC 479-14-221; and
(2) Submit a TIB funding small city arterial program application form.
Projects may be selected until the funding allocation is expended.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-270, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
WAC 479-14-271 Restriction on use of small city federal match funding.
Federal match funds are only for transportation projects funded through federal
transportation grants. All other local funding sources must be sought before applying for federal
match funds from TIB.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-271, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
pg 18
Page 22
WAC 479-14-272 Small city federal match funding priority.
The priority for funding federal match applications is the order in which the applications are
received until the funds are fully allocated.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-272, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
WAC 479-14-431 Award criteria for the sidewalk program.
The board establishes the following criteria for use in evaluating sidewalk program grant
applications for both urban and small city sidewalk projects:
(1) Safety improvement - Projects that address hazard mitigation
and accident crash reduction.
(2) Pedestrian access - Projects that improve or provide access to facilities including:
(a) Schools;
(b) Public buildings;
(c) Central business districts;
(d) Medical facilities;
(e) Activity centers;
(f) High density housing (including senior housing);
(g) Transit facilities;
(3) Completes or extends existing sidewalks.
(4) Completes or extends sidewalks to facilities listed in (2) that are identified in latecomer
agreements. The local agency must agree to collect the latecomer fee at the time of
development and place the fee in its transportation improvement program.
(5) Local support - Addresses local needs and is supported by the local community.
(6) Sustainability - Improves Right sizing sidewalk or shared use path width and material
type, provides hardscaping and appropriate native plantings, addresses low impact
development or natural drainage practices,, and encourages pervious surface use.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-431, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
pg 19
Page 23
WAC 479-14-461 Matching requirement for the sidewalk program.
The sidewalk program provides funding which will be matched by other funds as follows:
(1) The urban sidewalk program requires a match of at least twenty percent of total project
costs. provides funding which will be matched by other funds as follows:
(a) For cities:
(i) If the city valuation is under $1.0 billion, the matching rate is ten percent of total project
costs.
(ii) If the city valuation is $1.0 billion to $2.5 billion, the rate is fifteen percent of total
project costs.
(iii) If the city valuation is over $2.5 billion, the rate is twenty percent of total project costs.
(b) For counties:
(i) If the road levy valuation is under $3.0 billion, the rate is ten percent of total project costs.
(ii) If the road levy valuation is between $3.0 billion to $10.0 billion, the rate is fifteen
percent of total project costs.
(iii) If the road levy valuation is over $10.0 billion, the rate is twenty percent of total project
costs.
(c) For transportation benefit districts, the match is based on the valuation of the city or
county in which it is located. If the project lies within more than one city or county, the
match is determined by the city or county that has the greatest valuation.
(2) The Ssmall city sidewalk program matching rates are dependent on the city population
as provides funding which will be matched by other funds as follows:
(a) Cities with a population of one thousand and below are not required to provide matching
funds.
(b) Cities with a population over one thousand but less than five thousand, require a match of
at least five percent of the total project costs.
(a) If the city assessed valuation is under one hundred million, no cash match is necessary.
(b) If the city assessed valuation is from one hundred million to five hundred million, a five
percent match will be contributed.
(a) If the city assessed valuation is greater than five hundred million, a match of ten percent
will be contributed.
The board uses the current published valuation from the department of revenue.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.26 RCW. WSR 12-08-060, § 479-14-461, filed 4/3/12, effective 5/4/12.]
pg 20
Page 24
2018 Relight Washington Update
January 26, 2018
BACKGROUND
In 2015, TIB agreed to partner with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Avista in the conversion of high pressure sodium
(HPS) lighting to LED technology for eligible small to medium size cities. TIB and Public Utility Districts have also
entered into discussions and negotiations over the past two years.
All small cities (population under 5,000) are eligible for funds. Additionally, the board has included urban agencies
(population 5,000 and up) that have an assessed value under $2 billion. Cities, including those over $2 billion
assessed value, may apply for funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
Streetlights on public streets within the city limits are eligible if the city pays for them directly or through utility rates.
Cities with LED streetlights will pay new LED streetlight rates, saving at least 25 percent (often 30-40 percent) of
monthly charges. TIB has arranged directly with utility companies PSE and Avista and has worked with both
companies on the schedule and funding of the conversions. Avista should be complete in 2018 with PSE completion
in 2021.
Cities that have metered streetlights, or have providers with a lower LED flat rate should submit a proposal for
review. If the return on investment is determined to be reasonable, TIB fully funds the material and installation
costs.
STATUS
TIB has worked with most of the Public Utility Districts (PUD) and consequentially, many have adopted lower LED
rates for use. This undertaking has been accepted by PUD’s much faster than originally anticipated which has
generated requests sooner than projected.
As of January 2018, TIB has funded over 33,000 streetlight conversions at a cost of $13.6 million. We currently have
approximately $1 million in our 2017-2019 biennial budget with about $3.5 million of known requests coming in
2018-2019. It is anticipated the 2019-21 biennial requests will be within forecasted funding. With more anticipated
short term requests than allocated funding, TIB staff has reviewed several options:
1. Borrow up to $3.0M from TIB’s available fund balance;
2. Moratorium (no new contracts) after current funding is obligated until January 2019;
3. Reduce next preservation call with one of two options:
a. Complete program reduced and all applicable agencies eligible for preservation
b. Program reduced and any agency that receives LED funding will not be eligible this year for
preservation funding.
RECOMMENDATION
Board approval to adopt Option 1: Borrow up to $3.0M from TIB’s available fund balance.
pg 21
Page 25
State of Washington
Transportation Improvement Board
Annual Assessment
January 25, 2018
BACKGROUND
In 2013, the board adopted TIB’s ten-year strategic plan. The plan aligns program and administrative goals with the
agency’s charter outlined in RCW 47.26.084. It also reflects TIB’s mission and core values, as well as the State
Transportation Policy Goals. When the plan was adopted, it was determined that a performance assessment would
be brought before the board on an annual basis to ensure ongoing strategic alignment. This is accomplished through
two processes:
• The annual assessment scorecard is incorporated into the TIB dashboard and displays measures charting
ongoing progress toward strategic plan targets.
• The annual assessment report is a document presented to the board that analyzes goal attainment and
progress while informing potential course corrections in the coming year.
STATUS
Annual assessment scorecard measures were updated based on:
• November 2017 project selection;
• Fund balance as of December 1, 2017;
• Active projects during 2017; and
• Performance metrics for the 2017 calendar year.
The report outlines that overall, TIB’s financials and program performance is strong. Graphics used are taken directly
from the TIB’s Performance Dashboard. The scorecard can be accessed at www.tib.wa.gov/TIBDashboard/ and the
annual assessment report is on the following pages of this packet.
RECOMMENDATION
For information only, no action required.
pg 22
Page 26
State of Washington
Transportation Improvement Board
Annual Assessment
January 25, 2018
FINANCIAL HEALTH
TIB’s financial health remains stable. In November 2017, TIB granted $115.87 million to local agencies through the
following programs:
• Urban Arterial Program (UAP)
• Urban Sidewalk Program (SP)
• Arterial Preservation Program (APP)
• Small City Arterial Program (SCAP)
• Small City Sidewalk Program (SCSP)
• Small City Preservation Program (SCPP)
Outside of the November call, TIB granted $5.3 million in Relight Washington (LED) grants throughout the year as
cities became qualified and ready for funds. In March, TIB awarded $10.5 million in Complete Streets Awards.
The 2016 award cycle was designed to bring the TIA account balance down to $20 million over the next few years.
$20 million keeps a three month reserve in the account. In the latter half of 2017, we saw increased billings and a
fund drop that brought our fund balance down to a more acceptable range. The November 2017 award cycle (FY
2019 in graph above) was more in line with a typical call, which is approximately the size of our annual revenue plus
surpluses during the year. Surpluses through 2017 equaled $7.4 million.
pg 23
Page 27
KEY PROCESS INDICATORS
Starting in 2012, the TIB Dashboard was augmented with a scorecard (see below) to help evaluate agency
performance on an annual basis. This dashboard page displays approximately 20 metrics that derive from strategic
plan goals and objectives. Measures for the past five years are visible and as more annual data are collected, the
scorecard is updated.
Green indicators: Most scorecard measures are within target. Measures worth highlighting are below.
• TIA Fund balance. The TIA fund balance dipped below $30 million for the first time since 2010. An all time
high of $63 million was quickly reduced due to a planned acceleration in project delivery, the Emergency
Pavement Repair program, and construction ready project billings.
• Projects Completed. With the addition of nearly 90 Emergency Pavement Repair program projects and many
Relight Washington projects closing out, this number doubled in size from the previous year.
• Number of active projects. The number of active projects has been rising for the last few years as large call
sizes have been implemented and LED projects add a new book of business to TIB’s grant portfolio.
Yellow indicators: Six of the 21 targets are yellow, which indicates that monitoring may be necessary.
• Points in Sustainability. During the 2017 project evaluations, TIB engineers did not award points for criteria
items that have become common practice. These included adding LED lights or using Low Impact
development as those practices have become standard. TIB Staff will work on new sustainability criteria for
upcoming years to make those points more meaningful.
• Miles of Resurfacing Awarded. TIB did not award as many miles of resurfacing this year. There were more
intersection projects as well as fewer chip seal projects in the project selection.
pg 24
Page 28
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
TIB recent achievements include:
• Emergency Repair Program. With board approval, TIB staff developed and implemented the one-time
Emergency Repair Program. This program provided spot improvements for cities with assessed value under
$2 billion. 92 cities applied for assistance and TIB gave out $3.3 million.
• TIB receives first ever Electric Vehicle Fee deposit. Legislation passed in 2012 that gives TIB 15% of any
amount collected after $1 million of the $100 Electric Vehicle Fee (RCW 46.17.323). TIB received $48,570.
FUTURE ISSUES
The Relight Washington program has been very successful, with many cities being able to take advantage of lower
street light costs. A slowdown of interest occurred after the initial surge of projects happened. The initial projects
came from investor owned utilities companies (Avista and Puget Sound Energy) as well as cities that owned their
own lights. Public Utility Districts (PUDs) were slower to change rates, which would allow their cities to take
advantage of the Relight Washington Program. Many are now doing that and we are seeing an accelerated amount
of interest from them. Funding this continued level of interest will be a challenge in the next few years. The board
will see a staff proposal regarding this at this meeting.
After the success of the Emergency Repair Program, TIB staff will look into implementing some of the lessons
learned into the preservation programs.
ADA compliance continues to be an industry wide issue and TIB wants to be sure to stay ahead of the curve in terms
of standards, implementation in TIB projects, and managing costs.
The executive director continues to work towards codification of the complete streets funds and the connecting
Washington package funds from 2015. The goal is to have this enacted in 2018.
pg 25
Page 29
pg 26
Page 30
Smarter streetlights
by Thomas Cook | American City and County
October 30, 2017
Smart municipalities around the world have
embraced use of LED technology in outdoor lighting
systems for a multitude of reasons, including energy
and cost savings, more effective and efficient lighting
and reduced light pollution. However, what many
municipalities in the U.S. are just discovering is that
including new smart technology and communications
capabilities with their LED upgrade is an even smarter
proposition.
A light emitting diode (LED) lamp not only reduces the
amount of energy needed to produce the same
amount of light as a conventional HPS (high pressure
sodium) streetlight, but since it is an electronic
device, it is far more controllable and ultimately more valuable than a conventional streetlight. Think of the old
wired landline phone you grew up with, and compare that to the smart phone sitting beside you. That’s the
difference between traditonal streetlights and today’s smart LED streetlight.
Adding smart technology to an LED based streetlight system opens the door to the imagination
For example, adding sensors, controls and communication technology to a streetlight vastly improves the utility of
the streetlight. Smart technology can be included at the same time as the LED upgrade, or it can be added to LED
streetlights already in place.
Sensors, controls and communication technology in your streetlights have the potential to create a grid of Internet
of Things devices throughout your town. Each light pole becomes an intelligent brain cell in your smart city.
Sensors can “sense” a variety of conditions in the vicinity of the streetlight, including air quality, light levels, weather
conditions, motion and sound to name just a few. The sensors provide data that can inform decisions or actions.
Controls provide the ability to modify the quantity and quality of the light including light level and hue, based on
time, activity levels and other conditions.
Communications technology connects all of the lights into a smart grid, enabling them to talk to each other and to a
central management system run by your public works department. Data from the sensors, and real time
responsiveness to data - the control adjustments enabled through the central management system - are the
foundation of a smart city.
Goldendale in south central Washington, home to Goldendale Observatory State Park, opted for adding controls as
part of their LED upgrade to over 300 streetlights. Their calculations predict up to 75 percent savings on energy
consumption and a payback in less than four years. “For us, adding controls was an obvious choice. The controls give
us real time feedback on the condition of each light improving our maintenance response time and cutting
maintenance costs, and they monitor exact power usage enabling us to pay for only the energy we use,” says Karl
Enyeart, the city’s Public Works Director. Enyeart points out that the smart light controls enable the City to reduce
energy use beyond what is possible with just LEDs with no controls. They also provide the bonus of increasing the
LED post top lights with motion sensors and smart controllers
at U.C. Davis, California.
pg 27
Page 31
lifetime of the LED lights since they are on for less time and at lower power levels than would be required if smart
controls were not used.
Further south, San Jose, Calif., has initiated a conversion of 62,000 streetlights to LED lights with smart controls. In
addition to maintenance cost savings and the expected energy cost savings of 40 to 60 percent, the new streetlights
offer advantages to people and the environment. “The new streetlights eliminate the hazardous materials used in
sodium vapor lamps, reduce light pollution and preserve the night sky in late evening for astronomical research at
Lick Observatory, and enhance street safety with better light quality and improved visibility,” says Jill North,
innovation program manager for the San Jose Department of Transportation.
Los Gatos, Calif., recognized the value in converting streetlights to LEDs years ago, and just completed the upgrade
of their 2000 streetlights to LED lights. The conversion to LED streetlights has dramatically reduced energy usage
resulting in savings of $60,000 per year. When the upgrade to LEDs was first in consideration, smart technology for
streetlights was in its infancy. Technology has advanced considerably since then, and Los Gatos is currently
evaluating the addition of sensors and controls to their LED streetlights. “The payback period for the LED upgrade
was only six years, so it was an easy decision,” says Matt Morley, the city’s parks and public works director. “We are
now looking at adding sensors and controls to the streetlights as a way to offer more services to our citizens and
visitors to the town, and further leverage the capability of the infrastructure we have in place.”
Conversion to LED technology has become not a question of why, but when. Adding sensors, controls and
communications technology to the LED lights is now the decision facing municipalities. While in some cases funding
can be an impediment to upgrading to LEDs and controls, many cities in the U.S. have taken advantage of grants and
rebates from federal and state government agencies and utilities. Another challenge for some cities is ownership of
the light poles. While some cities own the poles, in many cases the local utility owns the poles. Creative cities like
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., have run the numbers and determined that buying the poles and then upgrading to smart
LEDs is a smart proposition for them.
While the choices with LEDs lights are fairly straightforward, the introduction of sensors, controls, communications
technologies and central management systems brings new complexities to go along with the new capabilities. The
large diverse pool of companies offering solutions in this space means plenty of options and features for you to
choose from but it also means you have to do your homework. City employees looking into these technologies
should ask about compatibility and standardization. They should also ask whether power line communication (PLC),
wireless communication (radio frequency) or cellular communication is the way to go (in many cases it’s a
combination of all three.) They are smart to ask about who owns the data. And they should question who will be
able to utilize the data once it is in hand. As the industry continues to evolve, the successful companies will answer
these questions and provide manageable and affordable solutions.
Cities around the world are adopting smart, connected LEDs in their streetlights, and there are numerous successful
implementations. Whether you have plans to upgrade your streetlights to LEDs or have already done so, now is the
time to evaluate smart technologies to enhance the value of your streetlight system. Don’t be content with just LED
lights or simple photocell controlled lights. There is so much more you can do.
Thomas Cook has three decades of experience in hi-tech with both hardware and software companies. He is
currently working with Echelon Corporation on their smart cities initiative.
pg 28
Page 32
Road projects about a quarter of Langley’s $8.2 million preliminary budget
by Evan Thompson
November 8, 2017
Road projects will be the focal point of Langley’s $8.2 million preliminary budget for 2018.
City officials released its draft budget to the public on Monday. The city’s overall budget is up from $6.5 million in
2017 because of a large influx of state funding.
Six road projects from the 2018-2022 transportation improvement plan will be sped up for completion in 2018. The
plan is being revised to accommodate a request by the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization, which
is required to spend allocated money from the Washington Department of Transportation.
A majority of the revenue from the $1.9 million street fund is from grants, meaning the city won’t have to dig deep
in its pockets to complete them.
“They want all of our road construction work to be done in 2018,” Callison said. “One, they want to make sure they
preserve the capital from the feds (federal government). Two, our new secretary of transportation wants to show
good progress on getting things done.”
Brian Wood, transportation planner for Island County, said the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization
ended up with more funding that it anticipated and that it is obligated to request that the city spend its money. The
threat is that if the money is not spent, there is a chance the federal funding delivered to Washington Department of
Transportation could be pulled.
“Because Langley’s projects are mostly paving projects, which are relatively nimble in terms of delivering those
projects, they can be moved up to 2018,” Wood said.
The first road project to be tackled is a $250,000 renovation of First Street funded by the Transportation
Improvement Board’s Complete Streets Grant. The intricacies of the project, which were drawn from both
immediate need and the feedback of the public, will include repaving, wider sidewalks, raised pedestrian crosswalks
and bike racks.
Federal and state grants will cover several other road projects, including a $130,500 milling and repaving of DeBruyn
Avenue, a $530,000 repaving and extruded curb project on Second Street, as well as repaving and milling projects on
Third Street and Park Avenue.
The final project planned for 2018 is a $245,000 revamp of First Street’s concrete sidewalk. Biorentention cells and
underground infiltration facilities will be added. Transportation Improvement Board funds will cover nearly 90
percent of the cost, while the city has earmarked $24,865 for the project.
The city’s general fund is about $1.7 million. The budget figures are subject to change as it is still in its preliminary
stage.
Taxes fund a majority of the general fund. A 2 percent increase to all utilities is projected for 2018.
Infrastructure improvements include replacements for the sewer pump station, a sewer line and water main from
the city’s sewer and water funds.
pg 29
Page 33
The city’s second largest fund, the water fund, is $1.16 million with the scheduled 2 percent rate increase.
The stormwater utility fund totals $435,554 and will address inadequacies in the city’s current stormwater system to
prevent streets from deteriorating and flooding.
The city’s preliminary tourism fund is set at $318,360. The funds, generated from a 4 percent hotel/motel tax
distributed by the state, are expected to be spent in support of: the Langley Chamber of Commerce Visitor
Information Center, promotion of the arts through Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, a countywide inter-local
program, Island Shakespeare Festival, the Langley Street Dance, SeaFloat Scramble, the Langley Whale Center and
various other programs.
The capital reserve fund, essentially the city’s savings account for governmental purposes, is $483,855.
pg 30
Page 34
Shelton plans to improve Alder Street, Olympic Highway North
by Arla Shephard Bull
November 9, 2017
The city of Shelton would like to embark on a $5
million project that would revamp the look and
function of a major roadway that connects downtown
and uptown Shelton.
Alder Street transitions into Olympic Highway North
when the road heads uphill past the Shelton
Timberland Library, and the city has plans to improve
the entire swath of that roadway from 1st Street and
Alder Street downtown through to Olympic Highway
North and C Street uptown.
The city has applied for more than $3.3 million in
grant funding from the state Transportation
Improvement Board, which funds high-priority
transportation projects throughout the state with
revenue from the state gas tax.
Local partners, including the Mason Conservation
District, Mason Transit Authority and Mason County
Public Utility District No. 3, will contribute around
$325,000 toward the project, while the city plans to
set aside nearly $1.1 million from its transportation
and storm funds.
“A project that’s shovel-ready moves up the priority
list for the Transportation Improvement Board,” said
city Public Works Director Craig Gregory at a meeting
last month. “If TIB does not fund this, we will look for
other funding sources, most likely federal grants, to
get this done.”
The project would shrink Alder Street from a 12-foot
roadway to an 11-foot roadway to make room for
wider sidewalks that pedestrians and bicyclists could
both use.
The south side of Alder Street, near the Mason
County Courthouse, would have 10-foot sidewalks,
under the proposed plans, while the south side of the
sidewalk would see 6-foot sidewalks. A planter strip
would separate the sidewalks from the curb and
gutters.
(Before) Alder Street in downtown Shelton currently features
a 12-foot roadway. The City of Shelton has applied for grant
funds to improve this corridor.
Contributed photo / City of Shelton
(After) Proposed changes to Alder Street would create wider
sidewalks for pedestrians, bicyclists and people using
wheelchairs. The changes would eliminate parking on Alder
Street near the courthouse.
Contributed photo / City of Shelton
pg 31
Page 35
Multi-use paths that improve accessibility for
pedestrians, bicyclists and wheelchairs greatly
increase the chances that the state would fund a
transportation project, Gregory added.
“(The sidewalk) is considered a multi-use path,” he
said. “We tried to keep (bicyclists) out of the lane of
travel because it didn’t look like we could get enough
width in the path of travel. They will not have a
designated lane within the sidewalk.”
Courthouse parking on Alder Street will be removed,
but additional angled parking will be added nearby on
8th Street.
The city plans to also make changes at the
intersection of 1st Street and Alder Street, where
currently vehicles that come downhill from 1st Street
must yield to vehicles turning right from Alder onto
1st Street.
“We have identified that as a problem area and our
accident and crash data backs that up,” Gregory said.
“What you end up with is a straight left-turn lane with
a stop sign and a right turn lane onto first street. The
addition of a left-turn lane is to not restrict traffic up
the hill.”
Further east on the roadway, when Alder Street
begins to turn into Olympic Highway North, the city
plans to turn the three-lane road into a two-lane road
with a raised center island that would have space for
vehicles that break down or emergency vehicles to
pass.
“The three-lane road is a holdover from when this
was a state highway,” Gregory said. “We plan to go
to two 12-foot lanes with a center broken divider in
the middle.”
The proposed plan also removes the barrier between
the sidewalk and the roadway on the hill.
Narrower lanes and wider sidewalks with pedestrians that are not obscured from traffic offer a visual cue to drivers
to slow down and help the city avoid putting in speed bumps, city staff said.
Other improvements along the roadway include additional lighting provided by PUD No. 3, landscaping and
stormwater improvements courtesy of the Mason Conservation District and an updated bus stop and bus shelter
from Mason Transit Authority.
“Our plan is we would put in a shelter, a larger shelter with lighting and a sidewalk up to the library,” said Dannette
Brannin, MTA general manager. “That would only be served by our fixed route. It will be well-lit so in the evening if
you’re waiting for the bus it will be safer.”
(Before) Alder Street headed east turns into Olympic Highway
North in uptown Shelton. The street currently features a
three-lane roadway and a sidewalk with barriers shielding
pedestrians from the road.
Contributed photo / City of Shelton
(After) Proposed changes to Alder Street as it turns into
Olympic Highway North would widen the sidewalk, reduce the
road to two lanes and add a center barrier (not pictured). The
city has moved away from the design pictured toward a
design that would include a raised center barrier.
Contributed photo / City of Shelton
pg 32
Page 36
The transit authority is working with the city to add another bus stop on the other side of the street, Brannin added.
In September, the city commission approved extending its contract with Gray & Osborne Inc. to complete the design
of the project.
The project is still in the design phase, but if the state approves the city’s grant funds this month, the city will be in a
position to move forward with the rest of the design in time for next year’s construction season, Gregory said.
“This design is very early and in stages, which is why we are wanting to get the word out now so we can get some
feedback, so we don’t go so far down this road and are not able to make changes,” he said. “ If (people) don’t like
something, certainly speak up.”
In the past, the city has implemented road improvements in more of a “trial and error” fashion, often needing to go
back and fix problems created by the improvements, Gregory added.
“This is not something we want to go back and change,” he said. “We want to get it right the first time … we would
like to eliminate the known problems we have on this corridor.”
pg 33
Page 37
Bellevue celebrates BelRed transportation projects
Road improvements to accomodate future growth
by Raechel Dawson
November 17, 2017
Congressman Adam Smith joined Bellevue
governmental officials Friday morning to celebrate
transportation projects in the BelRed neighborhood.
Recently completed transporation projects – the
widening of 120th Avenue Northeast and extending
Northeast Fourth Street – and new projects, such as
adding Northeast Spring Boulevard, a new road and
widening other roads in BelRed, correspond with
expected business growth and will relieve the traffic
that future growth brings to the area.
Last year, REI announced plans to move their
headquarters to The Spring District, which is located
in the BelRed neighborhood, in 2020. The company
estimates about 1,400 REI employees will work at the
new headquarters.
When all is said and done, the city of Bellevue will
have invested $327 million into the road improvements, Bellevue Mayor John Stokes said at the celebration.
“That’s a commitment to Bellevue’s future,” he said.
Several city staff were involved in making these projects a reality, however, Stokes credited Bellevue City
Councilmember Kevin Wallace and U.S. Rep. Smith as the driving forces in the city’s ability to secure a federal
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for $99.6 million with about 3 percent interest.
That loan was secured earlier this year.
Other funding sources include local revitalization financing, a federal grant and a State Transportation Improvement
Board (TIB) grant.
The city is wrapping up widening 120th Avenue Northeast. With work starting in 2014, widening 120th between
Northeast Third and 16th streets was accomplished in three phases and widening north of Northeast Eighth Street
to Northeast 16th Street is near completion. The improvements include a new lane in each direction, new bike lakes,
wider sidewalks and landscaping.
The Northeast Fourth Street extensions extended the road from 116th Avenue to 120th Avenue and was completed
in 2015 with bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaping.
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith at the BelRed transportation
celebration Friday morning. Smith was a champion of helping
the city of Bellevue secure the federal TIFIA loan to support
the transportation projects in the BelRed neighborhood.
Raechel Dawson/staff photo
pg 34
Page 38
Construction on the first phase of Northeast Spring
Boulevard is underway and will finish in early 2018.
The second phase will then begin next year with
several other zones beginning construction between
2018 and 2021. Northeast Spring Boulevard will be
developed in coordination with Sound Transit’s East
Link light rail and with Wright Runstad, the developer
of The Spring District and REI headquarters.
Improvements in the 124th Avenue Northeast and
130th Avenue Northeast corridors will begin between
2018 and 2023 in different phases as well.
By 2030, the BelRed neighborhood is expected to
provide 10,000 new jobs with 5,000 new housing
units. Two Sound Transit stations for the East Link
light rail station will be complete by 2023. And the
area is expected to house approximately 20 percent
of the city’s total employment.
For more information on the BelRed
“transformation,”
visit
transportation.bellevuewa.gov/projects/belred-
transformation.
From left, Greg Johnson, Wright Runstad; Patty Rubstello,
assistant secretary of WSDOT; Councilmember Kevin Wallace;
Mayor John Stokes; Transportation Director Dave Berg; City
Manager Brad Miyake; Peter Rogoff, executive director of
Sound Transit; and former Mayor Grant Degginger at the
celebration for the BelRed transportation projects.
Photo courtesy of city of Bellevue
pg 35
Page 39
$3.8 Million Awarded for Long-Sought Borst Avenue Safety Project
by Justyna Tomtas
November 21, 2017
A Centralia road that has long been the source of safety concerns is now scheduled to undergo improvements in
2019 after the Borst Avenue project was awarded $3,787,140 from the state Transportation Improvement Board on
Friday.
The announcement was made by Erik Martin, the Lewis County’s public works director, during the Board of Lewis
County Commissioners regularly scheduled meeting on Monday.
The road has for a long time caused safety concerns due to its lack of sidewalks, which forces students on their way
to Centralia High School into the roadway.
“Thank you to the city of Centralia, thank you commissioners and thank you to our consultants SCJ Alliance,” Martin
said. “This is really good news.”
Plans for the roadway include a two-way street, with a path on one side of the road, separated by a median.
The application for funding was submitted in August under the physical conditions category for TIB funding. The
move to submit it under that particular category made the project more competitive for funding, Martin said.
Members of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners and Centralia City Council preferred this option of
four for Borst Avenue rehab presented by SCJ Alliance during a workshop meeting in April.
Courtesy Photo
pg 36
Page 40
The remainder of the project costs — about $1.3 million — will be required in match from the county and the city of
Centralia since the road is located in both jurisdictions.
County Outlines Proposed Projects in Transportation Improvement Program
There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done prior to when the project is supposed to go to bid and be
constructed in 2019. Martin said the design, permitting and right of way acquisitions would likely take place next
year, and also stated Centralia has an extensive utility relocation project that needs to be completed.
Kim Ashmore, the public works director for Centralia, said the city will need to move water meters off of the existing
right of way so they do not sit in the pathway or the road. The city is also looking at whether wastewater pipes and
underground utilities need to be replaced prior to the start of construction.
“It feels great,” Ashmore said, acknowledging the partnerships it took to make the project happen. “… To get almost
$3.8 million is a big slice of the pie to construct that project. From a community standpoint, it’s a project that’s been
needed for a long time.”
In 2016, a group of Centralia students brought the issue back to the forefront when they urged the commissioners,
the Centralia City Council and the Centralia School District School Board to address the street.
“This is something that has been put off for far too long,” then Centralia High School student Morgan Fast said at a
meeting in February 2016. She spoke about the “terrible walking conditions” that affected students.
Ashmore, a school board member, said the students’ presentations were a good reminder and a subtle push to
move the project forward.
“They deserve a lot of credit,” he said. “They took the initiative to make this a priority.”
City and county officials have a meeting scheduled for Nov. 28 to discuss the next steps in more detail.
pg 37
Page 41
Bridgeport council awards Foster Creek sidewalk contract to POW
Road improvements to accomodate future growth
by Mike Maltais
November 22, 2017
“By awarding the contract now we lock in the contractor and
the price and ensure that we are his first spring obligation,”
Dezellem said. Mayor Janet Conklin encouraged council
members to award the contract
BRIDGEPORT – Work to complete the sidewalk along the far
east end of Foster Creek Avenue can begin with the spring
thaw after the city council awarded the project contract to
POW Contracting at its regular monthly meeting last
Wednesday, Nov. 16.
POW, of Pasco, was the lowest bidder for the sidewalk
construction on the north side of Foster from the Bridgeport
city sign to the State Route 17 Bridgeport Bridge, even though
its low bid came in $70,000 above the project’s cost estimate.
The project has not come without its delays, including a title
company error that initially misidentified ownership of the
property that cost the city money and a lost opportunity to
complete the sidewalk last year, when it would have been
cheaper.
A funding pool through the State Transportation
Improvement Board (TIB) that would reimburse a significant
portion of the construction costs is currently depleted, Public
Works Superintendent Stuart Dezellem said. While Dezellem
is confident the funding will be restored by the end of the
year, the revenue gap left the city with three options.
The first option was to abandon the project, which would
require the city to repay an estimated $70,000 in federal
funds used to pay for the project design work. Dezellem spoke
for the entire council when he suggested council members
would not want to see such a large block of public money go
to waste.
The second option was to award the contract to POW and authorize an interfund loan between city departments, in
this case water/sewer and street, to bridge the funding gap until TIB dollars became once again available.
The third option was to accept POW’s offer of a 45-day freeze on the contract price and terms while the city worked
with the TIB and revisited the contract at its next regular meeting.
Dezellem said he and city clerk/treasurer Judy Brown worked through the third option and found no advantage to
postponing the contract award since the city had the ability to exercise the necessary funding arrangements.
“By awarding the contract now we lock in the contractor and the price and ensure that we are his first spring
obligation,” Dezellem said.
Mayor Janet Conklin encouraged council members to award the contract
This section of Foster Creek Avenue stretching from
the Bridgeport city sign to the Bridgeport Bridge will
be the site of a new sidewalk construction project
next spring.
pg 38
Page 42
Council first approved a Washington State Department of Transportation Federal Air Supplement required to
authorize an increase in the project cost. It then voted to award the contract to POW, so work can commence with
the first spring thaw.
The total cost of the project comes to $98,624 of which TIB funds would cover $47,000.
pg 39
Page 43
Electric City expects $1 million in improvements
by Roger S. Lucas
November 22, 2017
Electric City has received word that it was awarded a $735,000 grant for major street repair.
The grant requires a 5-percent match of nearly $37,000.
City Clerk Russell Powers said the state Transportation Improvement Board grant will enable the city to put in new
streets, curbs and sidewalks that will connect the city’s two new proposed park sites.
The work “is planned for 2018,” Powers stated, as soon as bid specifications and engineering can be finished.
The grant will provide funds for curbs, sidewalks and new streets on Grand Avenue, part of Kent Street to Western
Avenue and on to McNett Street.
Powers said the city hopes to combine the resources of the TIB grant with some $200,000 the city received recently
in a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. The FEMA grant requires a 12.5-percent match of about
$25,000.
The two grants will provide about $1 million for improvements in the city.
The grants are in concert with the city’s plan to submit a grant request for construction and development of the
McNett Avenue park. If the city received its park grant, it would match with funds from its hotel/motel fund for
boosting tourism.
Powers stated that the work will include some stormwater drainage work.
pg 40
Page 44
FOLLOWUP: State grant denied for Highland Park Way roundabout, but SDOT says
design will continue
November 22, 2017
Just in from Highland Park Action Committee co-chair
Michele Witzki – word from SDOT is that the hoped-
for state grant to help pay for a roundabout at
Highland Park Way and Holden did not come through.
Witzki forwarded this response she received from
SDOT’s Jim Curtin, after asking for an update on the
grant status:
Somehow, we did not receive the grant for
this project. We are extraordinarily
disappointed and I know you are as well. I
have raised this issue to leadership here at
SDOT. We will be meeting soon to discuss our
next steps. As you know, we have allocated
more than $200k in local funds for design and
survey/design will continue into 2018. I hope
to have more information soon.
As reported here in September, there was big support for the $1 million-plus state Transportation Improvement
Board grant that SDOT had sought to supplement $500,000 in money that it had allocated. Part of that had been
announced by Councilmember Lisa Herbold during last May’s Find It, Fix It Walk in Highland Park – after Witzki
recounted the long history of problems at the intersection and disappointment in trying to get it fixed:
The roundabout was first proposed by Highland Park community advocates almost five years ago, as a way to calm
the dangerous and increasingly busy intersection at the top of the Highland Park Way hill.
A video is also available at: http://westseattleblog.com/2017/11/followup-state-grant-denied-for-highland-park-
way-roundabout-but-sdot-says-design-will-continue/
7 Replies to
(Early design for proposed Highland Park Way roundabout)
pg 41
Page 45
"FOLLOWUP: State grant denied for Highland Park Way roundabout, but SDOT says design will continue"
dsa November 22, 2017 (12:48 pm)
Very short weave in the south west quad between east to north bound and south to south bound.
ScottRAB November 28, 2017 (11:16 am)
Not a weave, exactly. In a modern roundabout the circulating traffic has the right of way. All entering
traffic must yield to traffic approaching from the left. And at the 20 mph design speed, a lot more
interaction can happen that doesn’t currently.
BlairJ November 22, 2017 (2:43 pm)
I cringe every time I see pedestrians waiting anxiously for a break in the traffic to cross this intersection. This
roundabout will slow down north/south drivers like myself and make it much safer for pedestrians to cross to or
from the bus stops. Drivers will get used to handling the weave.
Question Mark November 24, 2017 (1:31 pm)
Some years ago in Rainier Beach there was big talk of building a roundabout at what is essentially a six way
intersection, but the city chose not to pursue the necessary funding …
Bryan Hillerman November 24, 2017 (10:48 pm)
The road here is very wide. I am dumbfounded why putting a circular curb requires years of study. This area is a
public nusance, every driver that passes here enters into a risk. Maybe we could start making decisions in this city,
and stop paying for so many studies.
ScottRAB November 28, 2017 (11:16 am)
People using
the road make mistakes, always have and always will. Crashes
will always be with us, but they need not result in fatalities or serious injury. Modern roundabouts are the safest
form of
intersection in the world – the intersection type with the lowest risk of fatal
or serious injury crashes – (much more so than comparable signals). Modern roundabouts require a change
in speed and alter the geometry of one of the most dangerous parts of the
system – intersections. The reduction in speed and sideswipe geometry
mean that, more often than not, when a crash does happen at a modern
roundabout, you
usually need a tow truck, not an ambulance.
Roundabouts are one of nine proven road safety features (FHWA).
The life saved
may be your own.
D December 7, 2017 (9:58 pm)
As someone who’s lived all around the world I don’t understand why we don’t have more roundabouts here; they
improve traffic and reduce the amount of collisions.
Probart, Ashley (TIB)
pg 42
Page 46
From: Probart, Ashley (TIB) [mailto:AshleyP@TIB.wa.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 2:21 PM
To: Tucker, Sarah <Sarah.Tucker@leg.wa.gov>
Subject: Highland Park Way SW/Transportation Improvement Board selections
Representative Fitzgibbon,
Thank you for your interest in the Transportation Improvement Board’s funding criteria.
Please be assured that we did meet with the City of Seattle staff during our annual call for projects last
summer. Highland Park Way SW was identified and supported by the City of Seattle as one of its priority projects.
Background:
We are primarily funded from three cents of the state gas tax and TIB awards approximately $100 to $115M
annually in grant funding. According to state law, these funds are allocated to different programs and regions to
ensure balanced investments throughout the state.
The City of Seattle currently has five active projects with a total commitment of $12.8M or approximately 11-12% of
our annual allocation. (Current and recent awards).
Highland Park Way SW qualified under our Urban Arterial Program.
Criteria:
Specific to Urban Arterial Program criteria, all projects are evaluated based on constructability (likelihood it will
successfully reach construction) and sustainability (well-tested, reliable techniques to minimize environmental
impacts). Projects are also scored and categorized within four sub-programs: safety, mobility, physical condition,
growth and development.
2018 Puget Sound Awards and Highland Park Way SW:
The Puget Sound Region includes King, Snohomish, and Pierce County. This program is highly competitive. In this
region, we received 42 applications that requested $146.2M in TIB funds representing $429M in total project
costs. This is in contrast to $41.3M that were available. Nine projects were awarded:
Agency
Project
TIB Grant
Total Cost
Kirkland
Totem Lake Boulevard
$4,830,000
$8,136,717
Tukwila
West Valley Highway (SR 181)
$2,434,380
$3,772,620
Burien
S 144th Way
$3,419,525
$5,855,743
Kenmore
68th Avenue NE Bridge
$6,900,000 $27,520,103
Bellevue
NE Spring Boulevard, Zone 2
$5,950,200 $33,773,000
Mountlake Terrace
236th Street SW
$2,489,847
$9,849,687
Tacoma
East 64th Street
$6,501,958
$9,561,705
Pacific
Stewart Road (8th Street East)
$4,777,200
$5,308,000
Seattle
S Lander Street
$4,000,000 $106,000,000
Total
$41,303,110 $209,777,575
In addition to the nine projects noted above, there were several other projects in the region that had a higher rating
than Highland Park Way SW that were also unfunded.
In closing, we fully anticipate meeting with the City of Seattle staff prior to our 2018 call for projects. As part of this
meeting, we will debrief the city regarding the Highland Park Way SW project.
pg 43
Page 47
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Ashley
Ashley Probart
Executive Director
Transportation Improvement Board
Office: 360-586-1139
Cell: 360-790-5472
pg 44
Page 48
Quincy roundabout tops state grants list for NCWroad projects
by Mike Irwin
December 4, 2017
WENATCHEE — A $2.1 million roundabout on Highway 28 in Quincy tops a list of 23 road projects in North Central
Washington to receive $10.7 million in funding from the state Transportation Improvement Board.
Announced last week, the roster of projects in the North Central Region of the state Department of Transportation
includes mostly paving, overlays and seal coats on city streets — each with total projects costs of $500,000 and less.
The list’s costlier projects include the Quincy roundabout ($2.1 million total), street improvements (including
sidewalks) in East Wenatchee near Clovis Point Intermediate School ($1.5 million total) and bridge improvements on
Woodin Avenue in Chelan.
State grants for the 23 projects total $10.7 million, with overall costs for all projects at $15.2 million. The region’s
grants add up to about 9.3 percent of all TIB monies distributed statewide for projects slated for 2019.
The grants are state funding distributed through several programs, including the Small City Arterial Program, Small
City Sidewalk Program, Urban Arterial Program and others. No federal funding is included with these grants.
In Quincy, a roundabout has been proposed for the intersection of Highway 28 and 13th Ave. S.W., near the Shopko
Hometown retail store and the Quincy school complex. Engineers have estimated that 75 percent of the traffic
moving through the junction has either the shopping center or the schools as a destination.
Graphic provided A preliminary design for a proposed roundabout at the junction of Highway 28 and 13th Avenue S.W. in
Quincy shows a single-lane traffic circle with two "slip lanes" that act as merge lanes for traffic making right turns.
pg 45
Page 49
The new roundabout, designed for a maximum speed of 15 mph, would improve safety at the busy intersection,
engineers for the city of Quincy said at a public meeting in August.
The complete list of projects for the DOT’s North Central Region:
<> Brewster — $25,000 grant, $26,451 total, seal coating
<> Chelan — $250,000 grant, $1.02 million total, Woodin Avenue bridge improvements
<> Douglas County — $116,000 grant, $154,893 total, improvements to sidewalks near Clovis Point school
<> Douglas County — $1.1 million grant, $1.4 million total, improvements to Fourth Street S.E.
<> East Wenatchee — $484,686 grant, $570,200 total, overlays to Fifth Street and S. Kentucky Ave.
<> Electric City — $698,250 grant, $735,000 total, repaving portions of Western and Grand avenues.
<> Ephrata — $231,000 grant, $256,870 total, overlays to Eighth Avenue N.W.
<> George — $349,530 grant, $349,530 total, rehab of S. Frontage Road N.W.
<> Grand Coulee — $181,077 grant, $181,077 total, seal coats multiple locations
<> Leavenworth — $550,000 grant, $2.09 million total, seal coats Pine Street
<> Mansfield — $505,788 grant, $505,788 total, sidewalk improvements Main Street
<> Mattawa — $388,500 grant, $388,500 total, rehab projects in various locations
<> Moses Lake — $1.1 million grant, $1.7 million total, paving and improvements to W. Lakeshore Drive
<> Omak — $121,000 grant, $127,844 total, seal coating multiple locations
<> Omak — $697,500 grant, $775,000 total, repaving Jasmine Street
<> Oroville — $750,000 grant, $788,710 total, repaving 16th Avenue
<> Pateros — $436,234 grant, $436,234 total, rehab projects multiple locations
<> Quincy — $1.1 million grant, $2.1 million total, roundabout Highway 28
<> Soap Lake — $292,000 grant, $292,000 total, rehab projects multiple locations
<> Warden — $218,499 grant, $230,000 total, rehab projects multiple locations
<> Warden — $283,230 grant, $314,700 total, improvements Eighth Street
<> Waterville — $576,419 grant, $576,419 total, overlays to Walnut Street
<> Wilson Creek — $181,395 grant, $181,395 total, seal coatings multiple locations
pg 46
Page 50
Kenmore awarded $28 million for West Sammamish River Bridge project
Funds are coming from multiple statewide and federal agencies.
by staff
December 7, 2017
The City of Kenmore has been awarded nearly $28 million in funding by multiple statewide and federal agencies
toward replacing the West Sammamish River Bridge.
Those agencies include the Transportation Improvement Board, Puget Sound Regional Council and the Washington
State Department of Transportation.
Most recently in November, the city secured $6.9 million in grant funds from TIB, with the project receiving the
highest amount of funding among 28 other projects across Washington. The city will provide about $3.76 million
toward the completion of this project as identified in its Capital Improvement Program.
According to a City of Kenmore press release, the project is currently in the design phase (60 percent complete) and
construction is estimated to start in spring 2019, subject to permitting from various state and federal agencies as
well as a favorable bidding climate.
The revenue sources for matching funds are listed below.
Kenmore local funds: $3.76 million
Connecting Washington (state): $8 million
Bridge Advisory Committee (federal): $12 million
Surface Transportation Program (federal): $1.06 million
Transportation Improvement Board (state) $6.9 million
The total comes to $31.73 million.
The project will replace the West Sammamish River Bridge, which is the southbound structure over the Sammamish
River along 68th Avenue Northeast. This is the city’s only Sammamish River crossing and the bridge carries more
than 14,000 cars per day, according to the release. A bridge inspection in 2012 revealed critical changes in the bridge
pg 47
Page 51
condition, including cracks in the concrete structure, settlement and significant loss of soil around the piers. Bridge
weight restrictions went into effect in March 2014.
“The Sammamish River Bridge is very frequently used by all modes of transportation as it connects the southern half
of the city to the north half and also provides connections to downtown Kenmore and to the regional Burke Gilman
Trail,” Kenmore Mayor David Baker said in the release. “It is essential that we improve this significant connector and
make it more accessible to all road users. In addition to improving the travel lanes, increased bicycle and foot
activity in the region calls for the inclusion of a wide, separated pathway.”
The proposed project will replace the existing two-lane bridge with a new two-lane bridge, add a mixed-use bicycle
and pedestrian path on the west side of the bridge and project budget permitting, add a new sidewalk along the
east side of 68th Avenue Northeast.
According to the release, work includes demolition and construction of the west bridge, construction of retaining
walls, roadway work tying the new bridge into the 68th Avenue Northeast/Juanita Drive Northeast roadways,
lighting, stormwater improvements, extending and improving bicycle facilities, and if the project budget permits,
upgrading signals, undergrounding utilities and restoration/improvements to the east bridge.
During construction, the city will maintain two lanes in each direction across the Sammamish River when possible,
the release states. However, there will be times when one or two lanes of traffic will need to be closed to
accommodate construction. There will also be periodic closures of the river and under the bridge during
construction. The city will host an open house in late 2018/early 2019 to discuss construction and what to expect.
For more information about the project, www.kenmorewa.gov/WestSammamishRiverBridge.
pg 48
Page 52
City receives more than $5 million for road, sidewalk improvements in Totem Lake
Improvements aim to improve mobility for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
by Kailan Manandic
December 13, 2017
The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board awarded Kirkland with more than $5 million last month
to improve roads and sidewalks in the Totem Lake Urban Center.
The improvements aim to improve mobility for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians as the city implements its
infrastructure strategies for the Totem Lake area. City engineers expect to finish designs by next summer and begin
construction when developers complete The Village at Totem Lake in 2020.
“These grants are a boon for the rejuvenation of our Totem Lake urban center,” said Mayor Amy Walen in a press
release. “Totem Lake is undergoing its most significant improvements since original construction of the mall and the
surrounding road and sidewalk improvements will help us keep our infrastructure dependable.”
The city is always trying to minimize traffic impacts according to Kathy Brown, public works director, but because the
Puget Sound region is booming, traffic increases are unavoidable.
“Kirkland is on the way to a lot of places and a lot of commuters pass through Kirkland. This will keep increasing,”
she said. “We do have a good plan and the plan addresses the growth at the specific sites but because the entire
area is developing so rapidly, there will be increased traffic.”
Brown said she thinks The Village at Totem Lake is already in the best position to minimize traffic impacts as it’s
adjacent to I-405.
The city’s strategy is to create access to alternative transit as Totem Lake develops and becomes more dense. This
focuses on multi-modal transportation, which the city hopes will allow more residents to walk, bike or bus to work,
thus taking cars off the streets.
Kirkland City Hall. Reporter file photo
pg 49
Page 53
Ultimately, this development can cut both ways, but is an economic positive for the entire city and gives locals a
great amenity, according to Joel Pfundt, transportation engineering manager for Kirkland public works.
“With all of this new activity it’s kind of a negative in that there’s new activity that comes with new traffic,” he said.
“(But) all that activity that generates sales tax revenue which is how city is able to fund a lot of what we provide.”
THE IMPROVEMENTS
The most intensive improvements will take place along Totem Lake Boulevard Northeast between Northeast 124th
Street and 120th Avenue Northeast as crews will demolish the existing street and sidewalk before replacing the 40-
year-old retaining wall and rebuilding the road and sidewalks.
This section of the boulevard is adjacent to Totem Lake and slowly sinking into the wetlands.
“The more densely this develops the more people will be driving over (this section),” Brown said. “It’s not something
that people see every day, but that’s a really important project that we’ll be getting done and we’re super excited to
have the grant funding for it.”
Additionally, infrastructure improvements will take place around most of Totem Lake Boulevard Northeast, 120th
Avenue Northeast and Totem Lake Way. This primarily includes wider sidewalks, repaved roads, bike paths and a
new boardwalk for residents to walk along Totem Lake.
“We’re trying to take streets that are working pretty hard and we want them to work for all modes,” Pfundt said.
“(We want) to create more mobility for people and more ways for people to get around as the area grows.”
Totem Lake is classified as one of King County’s 18 urban centers because it accommodates 15,000 jobs within a
half-mile of a transit center and maintains at least 50 employees and 15 households per acre — all within one and-a-
half square miles or less.
According to Christian Knight, neighborhood services outreach coordinator with the city’s public works department,
these obligations come with benefits, including priority eligibility for federal funding. Between 2009 and 2013
Kirkland received $6 million in federal grants, most of which is used for transportation, courtesy of the Totem Lake
Urban Center.
Additionally, the Washington State Department of Transportation plans to open a freeway interchange in 2023 that
will allow access to I-405 from Northeast 132nd Street. In a press release, WSDOT said it plans to begin presenting
its preliminary design for the interchange this winter.
Sound Transit will also implement bus-rapid transit in the Totem Lake area four blocks south, according to Sound
Transit. According to a press release, this will ensure freeway-side access to transit every 10-15 minutes at Northeast
128th Street in 2024.
Brown said this transit system will allow buses to operate similar to how a train operates, with fewer stops and
shorter transit times.
“Change is hard. You grow up in a place, you love it and you want it to stay exactly like it is, but we can’t make that
happen,” Brown said. “The region is growing and people are moving into Washington state and particularly into the
Puget Sound area. That’s good for the economy, good for those of us who grew up here and it’s good for our kids.
We can’t make it stay the same but we can guide the growth in a way to make it positive and better. And that’s what
we’re doing.”
pg 50
Page 54
Grants to help fund town road repairs
by Megan Hansen
December 15, 2017
Some Coupeville roads will be getting a facelift in the coming year. Coupeville Town Council approved three road
related projects this week, mostly utilizing grant funds.
The town received more than $68,000 from the state Transportation Improvement Board for asphalt overlays. The
project will be contracted through the county and will be completed this summer, said Mayor Molly Hughes.
Roads that will get overlays are LaSalle and 8th Street from 9th to Leach, Lindsey Street from 7th to the end and Otis
Street from 9th to NE 6th Street.
“The town will pay a 5 percent match of $3,595 for this grant,” Hughes said. “The town could not get this amount of
street maintenance done without the help of the TIB.”
The town also received more than $90,000 for a rehabilitation grant from TIB.
“Rehabilitation funds are not always available as the chip seal and overlay funds usually are,” Hughes said.
Rehabilitation funds allow for the complete re-construction of a road because the condition is too degraded for
overlay maintenance.
The grant will be used for projects on Bainbridge Lane from South Main to the end and NW 6th Street from Grace
Street to North Main.
“The town will be doing some storm water work on Bainbridge as well and will coordinate both projects with the
county very carefully to cause the least inconvenience to the residents and businesses in the area, Hughes said.
The town’s match for these project is just under $5,000.
The council also awarded a contract with a Bellingham-based company Huizenga Enterprises to repair and replace
curbs in three areas in town.
Those areas include in the Recreation Hall parking lot, 101 South Main St. and on NE 6th between Center and Haller
streets.
The contractor will remove and dispose of the damaged curbing and pour, finish and seal new curbing. They will also
be responsible for traffic control when needed.
“This work will improve the appearance of and protect landscape at the Rec Hall and on Main Street and create a
safe parking edge on 6th Street,” Hughes said.
Including a 10 percent contingency fund, this project will not exceed $8,630.57.
pg 51
Page 55
Jeanne Burbidge, city’s longest serving council member, ends 20-year career
Burbidge was Federal Way’s mayor and deputy mayor during two decades of service
by Heidi Sanders
December 17, 2017
When Jeanne Burbidge decided to run for Federal Way
City Council in 1998, she had no idea it would be the
beginning of two decades of public service.
Now, Burbidge is retiring from city government after
she decided not to run for a sixth four-year term. She
looks back fondly on her service.
“It has been a joy to serve, and I loved the work,” said
Burbidge, whose time on the council will come to an
end on Dec. 31. “It was something I had not ever had
as a long-term goal.”
Originally from Minnesota, Burbidge moved with her
family to north Seattle when she was in third grade.
After graduating from Seattle University with a
bachelor’s degree and the University of Washington with a master’s degree in social work, Burbidge met her
husband, Jim, who wa s a dentist in the Air Force. After Jim got out of the military, the couple settled in Federal Way.
“We have lived here a good part of our adult lives,” she said. “We both became involved in the community. We both
are fairly social people, and we both like to be involved.”
Burbidge took an interest in the arts and got involved on the boards for the Northwest Chamber Orchestra,
Centerstage Theatre and the King County Arts Commission, which is now 4Culture.
“We observed what was happening in Federal Way and realized the community needed to form as a city to
incorporate,” Burbidge said. “Counties are not structured, at least in Washington state, in a way that is workable for
urban unincorporated areas. It is more of a rural structure.”
Burbidge and her husband were involved in several incorporation campaigns.
“The first couple of efforts did not pass,” she said. “Voters were very nervous about forming a city. They assumed
taxes would be higher. Ironically, once we did succeed at incorporating, taxes in the city were kept at a lower level
than outside in the unincorporated area because King County kept raising property taxes, and the city kept ours
low.”
After incorporation in 1990, Burbidge served on the city’s first arts commission.
“During those years, I learned a great deal more about city government and the processes involved,” she said. “I
found myself very interested. Sometimes we would have issues as (arts) commissioners on the agenda of the City
Council. A few of us would go to the meeting. I would look at the agenda and my commissioner colleagues would be
ready to leave. I would say ‘no, I am staying for this item and that item.’ ”
Jeanne Burbidge, Federal Way’s longest serving council
member, ends her 20-year tenure on Dec. 31.
Heidi Sanders, the Mirror
pg 52
Page 56
People, including Burbidge’s husband, encouraged her to run for City Council.
“My husband said, ‘you are doing the work anyhow. Why don’t you just run for council?’ ” she said. “And, I did, and I
was elected. I enjoyed it, and I ran again and again and again and again.”
After five four-year terms, Burbidge is looking forward to having more flexibility in her schedule and spending more
time with her husband.
During her council career, Burbidge was active regionally, serving on a variety of boards including the Regional
Transit Committee for King County, the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board, the Puget Sound
Regional Council Transportation Policy Board, the South County Area Transportation Board and the Regional Law,
Safety and Justice Committee for King County.
The Sound Cities Association, which is made up of 38 cities in King County, recently recognized Burbidge for her
impact regionally by giving her member emeritus status.
When she first joined the council, Federal Way operated under a city council-city manager form of government,
where the mayor was elected from among the council by his or her fellow council members.
Burbidge, who has the longest tenure as a council member in the city’s history, served as mayor the first two years
of her second term on the council from 2002-03.
“I hadn’t been planning on it. It kind of happened,” she said of being appointed mayor. “One of the council members
said, ‘Jeanne, we would like you to be mayor,’ and I said, ‘you do?’ Because this was only my second term, and the
whole thing hadn’t been a long-term goal for me.”
Burbidge enjoyed being mayor and working closely with the city manager and other leaders in the region.
“It was kind of fun running the council meetings and dealing with citizen comment,” she said. “We had some
controversial issues come up, too, where we would have suddenly a full chamber and people out in the hall wanting
to give citizen comment. I learned how to use the gavel.”
In 2009, residents approved the switch to a mayor-council form government, where the mayor is elected by voters.
Burbidge has spent her last four years on the council as deputy mayor, serving two consecutive two-year terms in
the post. The deputy mayor is selected by his or her fellow council members.
Burbidge is most proud of the city’s investment in parks and the arts, including the construction of the Federal Way
Performing Arts and Event Center, which opened this year.
“Attending many of the events that have been held (at the PAEC) so far, people tend to come to those performances
about a half hour early, so they gather in the lobby,” she said. “To see the interaction of the people and the
opportunity for people to meet each other and socialize and have a cup of coffee and to go into a performance they
enjoy, that has been very satisfying.”
After she leaves the council, Burbidge said she will miss the people – the residents, fellow council members, mayor
and city staff.
“We have had the good fortune of having terrific staff,” she said. “They work kind of behind the scenes so, in many
ways, in many situations, they don’t get a lot of glory, but they deserve a lot more glory than they get.”
The City Council honored Burbidge with a reception during its Dec. 5 meeting. Mayor Jim Ferrell will present
Burbidge with a Key to the City at the Jan. 16 council meeting.
pg 53
Page 57
“Over the years I have really come to view Jeanne as one of the most valuable members the City Council has ever
seen,” Ferrell said at the Dec. 5 meeting.
Hoang Tran, who won the November general election for Burbidge’s Position No. 4 seat on the council, will be sworn
in at the Jan. 2 meeting.
Burbidge will continue to live in Federal Way and plans to stay active in the Rotary, the American Association of
University Women, the Federal Way Performing Arts Foundation Board and volunteering as a legal guardian for
severely disabled individuals, which she has done since 1989.
“I made a decision to take a six-month breather before taking on anything totally new,” she said.
Burbidge and her husband have three children – Margaret, Heidi and Scott – and one grandson.
pg 54
Page 58
BG traffic projects: South Parkway, phase 1 of 502/503 congestion relief near
completion
Design for phase 2 of the 502/503 congestion relief project is underway
by Jonathan Haukaas
December 19, 2017
The stress of the holidays might be eased a little for
Battle Ground residents as two major traffic projects
in the city are nearing completion.
The speed limit on South Parkway Avenue was
bumped back to 30 miles per hour between Eaton
and Rasmussen and 25 miles per hour from
Rasmussen to Main Street after being set at 20 miles
per hour in mid-June as drivers weaved around
construction workers and their machinery.
South Parkway, or rather its state of disrepair for
many years, had long been a source of complaints in
the community given its rough, bumpy surface and an
assortment of crudely-filled potholes and the like —
but those days are long gone.
The new road is smooth with a few new changes.
The southern end of the project, section A, from
Eaton to Rasmussen Boulevard, was completely torn
up. New features for Section A include, among other things, sidewalks on the east side, ADA (Americans with
Disabilities Act) ramp upgrades, planter strips, bike lanes and lighting.
Between Rasmussen and Main Street, Section B, was milled and filled, with the first few inches of the roadway being
ground down and a new layer of asphalt added on top. Sidewalk ADA ramps were upgraded along this section and
some utility work was done.
Two state Transportation Improvement Board grants totaling $4.3 million funded the majority of the $5.6 million
project.
“There is a punch list of a few items on the South Parkway Improvement Project that need to be completed by the
contractor, but other than those few details, the project has reached substantial completion,” said city
spokesperson Bonnie Gilberti. “Once those items are checked off, the project will reach physical completion.”
502/503 Congestion Relief
Just down Main Street, the first portion of a much larger project is taking form.
Phase 1 of the 502/503 Congestion Relief Project broke ground this summer, and earlier this month Northwest Fifth
Avenue north of Fred Meyer was extended to state Route 503 for a right in, right out portal, with jersey barriers
separating the left and right lanes.
Cars stream off of Northwest Fifth Avenue north of Fred
Meyer and onto state Route 502 last Thursday in Battle
Ground. Northwest Fifth Avenue is a part of Battle Ground’s
three-phase, $7.7 million state Route 502/503 Congestion
Relief Project and opened at the beginning of December.
Photo by Jonathan Haukaas
pg 55
Page 59
Around the same time Northwest Fifth Avenue was opening for use, the traffic light at the intersection of Northwest
12th Avenue and state Route 502 was removed. Ongoing construction only allows right in, right out traffic on state
Route 502 at Northwest 12th Avenue, which will continue to be the case when a median is in place.
The final step of phase one is a small one.
At Northwest 15th Avenue, the next entrance to the west, the left turn lane will be extended north. Gilberti predicts
phase one will be finished up by late January.
Gilberti also said that design for phase 2, set to begin next year and run into 2019, is already underway.
Phase 2 will see right-hand turn lanes added at the 502/503 intersection, the left-hand turn lane from state Route
502 to the Safeway shopping area will be extended, and Southwest First Way will be extended eastward to
Southwest 12th Avenue.
Gilberti said it’s still too early to assess the effect the project has had so far, especially since there is still ongoing
construction at Route 502 and Northwest 12th Avenue, along with added traffic from the holidays.
All three phases of the $7.7 million, six-year project will be paid for through the Washington state Legislature’s
Connecting Washington Program, which comes from fuel tax.
pg 56
Page 60
State: Grant can’t pay for First Street repave
by Evan Thompson
December 20, 2017
The City of Langley will likely have to dig into its own pockets if it wants to repair First Street’s roadway.
Transportation Improvement Board officials confirmed that the city’s request to use $150,000 of its $250,000
Complete Streets Award Program grant on a comprehensive milling and overlay project from Wharf Avenue to
Anthes Avenue was rejected a year ago.
The city’s Complete Streets Works Plan was approved in December 2016, but the grinding and overlay portion of the
project meant for the First Street roadway was stricken.
Other proposals submitted, including five new raised pedestrian crossings, new curbs and gutters, a pedestrian plaza
at Thomas Hladky Park, converting parking on the north side of the street from angled to parallel and wider
sidewalks in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, were approved by the board.
The public will have a chance to weigh in on the proposals at a public meeting sometime in January 2018.
The repaving project, along with several other upgrades proposed for the redesign of the street, is included in the
city’s six-year Transportation Improvement Program approved by the Langley City Council in August. But the
Transportation Improvement Board’s engineers said the funds can only be spent on transit, bike, pedestrian or
aesthetics improvements.
Public Works Director Stan Berryman said it is his understanding that roadway repaving was an allowed use of the
grant monies, but Transportation Improvement Board Engineering Manager Chris Workman said this isn’t the case.
“That was never part of the approved work plan,” Workman said.
Workman clarified that milling and overlay is typically permitted whenever there are new features such as
crosswalks or wider sidewalks being constructed. During this type of work, asphalt is typically cut and replaced.
Repaving is required to smooth things out. It’s referred to as “incidental” or “transitional” maintenance.
Workman said the city’s proposed milling and overlay project for the roadway is far more extensive, involving a “full-
width grind” at a “two-inch depth.”
It is not entirely clear how the city plans to proceed. Though informed by a Record reporter that Transportation
Improvement Board officials rejected the city’s request to use grand funding to repave the road, city officials are
seeking official clarification from the board regarding “what can and cannot be done paving wise,” according to
Mayor Tim Callison.
City officials are unsure what the scope of the project will look like depending on how the Transportation
Improvement Board responds.
“I cannot comment further until we hear officially from the TIB in writing as the amount of allowable repaving that
we can conduct in this project,” Callison wrote in an email. “When we have that we can input that information into
the design process and shape our work plan for the project.”
The street is in poor shape and is deteriorating, Berryman said. On a scale of 0 to 100, Berryman rated it at 60.
pg 57
Page 61
The city could move forward in one of two ways, both of which would involve allocating the leftover $150,000 to
other improvements allowed by the Complete Streets Awards Program.
The first and perhaps more immediate solution would be drawing from the street maintenance fund to cover the
cost of repairing the distance from Wharf Drive to Anthes Avenue. When contacted on Monday morning, City
Clerk/Treasurer Debbie Mahler said the total money available for the city to spend on a project of that magnitude
was not readily available.
The other option is a piecemeal approach, though Callison likened this to “painting a car that doesn’t run”
considering the other updates that are coming down the road. A starting date for construction on the redesign of
First Street is not yet set because the project is still being ironed out in public process.
“The grant money has an expiration date so we may end up doing the paving work piecemeal which will cost more
and be less uniform in the long run,” Callison wrote.
The grant expires in December 2018.
pg 58
Page 62
Elmer City's proposed trail to go out for bids
by Roger S. Lucas
December 20, 2017
Elmer City’s proposed trail system will go out for bid Jan. 10, public works director “Jimmer” Tillman advised the
town council last Thursday night.
The 2,100-foot trail, financed by a grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board, will connect Elmer City
residents to the Downriver Trail system at two locations.
Tillman stated that bids will be opened Jan. 24, with the work done sometime in the spring.
The TIB grant of $250,000 will pay for engineer work and the actual construction of an 8-foot-wide paved trail from
Third Street to two crosswalks, the second one near where Williams Street connects to the Lower River Road.
Tillman explained that the trail system will be a shared path for both bicycles and walkers.
The completed trail will allow Elmer City residents to access the Downriver Trail, a six-mile system, in a safe manner,
with crosswalks allowing them to cross from one side of the Access Road to the other.
Tillman said earlier this year that as soon as this “Complete Streets” project is finished, the town plans to apply to
the TIB to continue the trail system.
The “Complete Streets” designation and grant is to expand the use of streets so walkers and bicyclists can use the
same streets and sidewalks.
Tillman has said that town Clerk Gary Benton played a key role in developing the original grant application.
The trail system will be the third TIB grant the town has received.
pg 59
Page 63
Twisp sees the light with new street fixtures
LED lights save money, help with ‘dark sky’ efforts
by Ann McCreary
December 28, 2017
Twisp has new, more energy-efficient LED streetlights, after older
streetlights were replaced last month through a program called “Relight
Washington.”
The LED streetlights will save the town money and support “dark sky”
efforts to reduce light pollution, said Andrew Denham, Twisp public
works director.
The Relight Washington program provided money to small towns in
Washington to replace their old streetlight fixtures with the new LED
lights. Denham said the program, administered through the state
Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), was initiated under the Obama
administration to encourage greater energy efficiency. The new LED
streetlights are estimated to use about 20 percent less power than the
older fixtures.
“With these new lights, their street lighting bill should be less expensive
than it has been,” said Derik Groomes, a distribution engineer with the
Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD). The PUD oversaw the
installation of the new lights in Twisp and eight other communities in the
county.
In Twisp, replacing 94 high-pressure sodium lights on town streets with
the LED lights is expected to save the town about $2,236 per year,
Groomes said. That represents a 19 percent reduction in lighting costs
for the town, he said. Under the Relight Washington program, TIB
provided funding for the $37,646 cost of purchasing and installing the lights in Twisp.
The work in Twisp was done during a one-week period last month by a contractor hired by the PUD to switch out the
streetlights. The contractor replaced 200-watt high pressure sodium lights with 70-watt LED lights, and 100-watt
high pressure sodium lights with 40-watt LED lights. The brighter lights are along more major streets and Highway
20, and the lower wattage lights are on residential areas and side streets.
While the change may have gone unnoticed by some residents, it caught the attention of others, in part because all
the lights are initially pre-set at 70 watts. That produced some unexpectedly bright lights in residential areas and
resulted in about a dozen complaints from town residents, said Denham.
Lights adjusted
The brightness of the lights can be adjusted, so soon after they were installed, Groomes turned down the brightness
in residential areas. “For a couple of weeks it was 70 watts everywhere, so they were noticeably brighter than
previously,” Groomes said.
Photo by Ann McCreary
Twisp replaced 94 streetlights with
more-efficient LED lights, which will help
the town economize on its electricity bill.
pg 60
Page 64
Since the lights were adjusted to 40 watts, complaints have gone away, Denham said. In a few cases, shades were
installed on light fixtures to shield light that residents felt was too bright or intrusive.
“We’ve had responses back from people who initially complained, that have been positive” about the new lights, he
said.
The new LED lights are “dark sky compliant” and designed to shine downward, rather than broadcasting light
upward and contributing to nighttime light pollution. The LED lights have a longer life and require less maintenance,
and that means lower costs to the PUD, which serves Twisp, Groomes said.
People may notice a different quality to the light, he said. The sodium lights had a yellowish hue, while the new
lights give off a whiter light. “With the new lighting it’s closer to an actual daylight color temperature, so a person
should be able to determine colors better in these lights,” Groomes said. The LED fixtures provide an additional
safety factor, because animals, people or other objects are more visible in their light, he said.
In addition to Twisp, streetlights were replaced in Oroville, Tonasket, Riverside, Conconully, Omak, Okanogan,
Brewster and Pateros. Denham said the towns and cities evaluated fixtures and collectively selected the LED
replacements.
A total of 1,355 streetlights were changed to LED lights this year through the Relight Washington program, with an
annual savings of $32,255 for the municipalities, Groomes said.
Streetlights in Winthrop and the upper valley, which is served by the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, were
changed to LED fixtures in 2014.
pg 61
Page 65
City of Bothell update on Main Street, streets and sidewalks and open space |
Guest editorial
by Jennifer Phillips
December 29, 2017
City of Bothell
We’ve heard a few questions and concerns about the construction delay
of the Main Street Enhancement Project. Here is a brief update on the
project and other major city initiatives.
Conceptual design of the Main Street Enhancement Project began in
2009 and design was completed by 2016, while awaiting complete
construction funding. Thanks to Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington
State Transportation Improvement Board, following the Main Street fire,
the TIB provided $4.7 million in grant funding. In April 2017, the city
broke ground on the project. An incentive was offered to the contractor
to finish by Thanksgiving, but despite everyone’s best efforts, this target
was not met. Completion of the project is expected in February 2018.
And, due to strong support from Bothell voters, the Safe Streets and
Sidewalk levy is already having an impact. You’re seeing increased road
maintenance throughout the city, safety improvements on school walk
routes and plans are underway for the construction of new sidewalks.
Growth in our region is happening faster than expected and the City of
Bothell is committed to meeting its state-mandated growth while
preserving open space. The city’s recent purchase of 47 acres in the
North Creek Forest and 89 acres of the Wayne Golf Course, both now
preserved as open space in perpetuity, are evidence of this
commitment.
We have a lot to celebrate as we look forward to further progress in
2018
Jennifer Phillips is the city manager for the City of Bothell.
Jennifer Phillips. Courtesy photo
pg 62
Page 66
Downtown Bothell project delayed
by Nektaryos Xenos
December 29, 2017
UW Bothell
In recent months, local residents saw big changes in
downtown Bothell, with more planned for the near
future. One active area is Main Street, which is
receiving a revamp as part of the city’s Main Street
Enhancement Project, a key element in the overall
Downtown Revitalization Plan.
While the City of Bothell’s Main Street Enhancement
website listed a Thanksgiving 2017 completion
deadline, things have been postponed to sometime in
February.
Despite the delay, progress continues, exemplified by
the daily sights and sounds of construction. The scene
of active workers, loud machinery and detours can’t
be mistaken for anything else. Recently, the block
between Bothell Way and 101st Avenue Northeast
was reopened to vehicle traffic in both directions,
while construction begins on the block directly east
between 101st Avenue Northeast and 102nd Avenue Northeast.
According to the city’s website, the project’s intention is to renovate the street and replace the archaic public
utilities as well as create a more welcoming vibe in the area. Plans aim to make the area more pedestrian friendly by
incorporating modern features, while simultaneously maintaining the historic feel.
One of the project’s main design elements is to eliminate the previously curvy street and create a straighter one to
provide more room for wider sidewalks on both sides, with additional room for lampposts and bollards, according to
the city website. This additional space will make it easier to add benches and bike racks.
With more foot traffic comes the necessity to ensure safety and comfort at all hours.
Decorative twin-headed LED lights mounted on 16-foot poles, supplemented by tree uplights in certain locations,
will provide light for all hours while relying on efficient light sources, according to the website. Aside from utilizing
old-fashioned poles, designers also included specifications to use poles that can accommodate hanging flower
baskets, banners and outlets to power seasonal lighting.
A final major element of the project will be the introduction of flexible-use zones along the roadway, separating the
road from the sidewalk. These flexible zones are “designed as modules based on a single 22-foot long by 8-foot wide
parallel parking space. Each module can be open or closed to the vehicle travel lane and designated for parking or
pedestrian use respectively,” the website states.
When closed, these zones could “accommodate a range of uses including cafe seating for adjacent restaurants, retail
merchandise displays, street vendors, street musicians, outdoor art exhibits, additional public open space and
seating, bicycle parking, parade seating or 10-foot (max) square market tents,” according to the website.
An artist’s rendering shows what Main Street will look like
once the enhancements are complete.
Courtesy of the City of Bothell
pg 63
Page 67
Jessica Thomson, a Kirkland resident who works in Bothell, is familiar with the work that has been going on in the
area. Originally, she worried the construction would impact her daily commute, forcing her to start the day early to
beat the traffic. However, this has not been the case.
Regarding the integration of newer design elements, she felt it will improve Bothell.
“It will encourage people to walk around the city and it’s especially convenient for those who ride their bikes, walk
or run on the Burke Gilman trail,” Thomson said.
As for the project completion being postponed, it wasn’t much of a surprise for her.
“Local construction seems to take centuries these days,” she said. “I think if I were a Bothell local, as a taxpaying
citizen, I may feel a little more strongly about it, but because Bothell isn’t as big as Seattle, I don’t think I would
really make a huge fuss about it.”
For more information on the Main Street Enhancement Project, visit tinyurl.com/ybwyab9t.
Nektaryos Xenos is a student at the University of Washington Bothell.
pg 64
Page 68
City, PUD 3 work to brighten Shelton
by Arla Shephard Bull
December 29, 2017
The City of Shelton and Mason County Public Utility
District No. 3 have worked out a bright solution to
save the city money.
Last month, the city received a $266,913 grant from
the Washington State Transportation Improvement
Board’s Relight Washington program to fund the
ongoing conversion of old, high-pressure sodium
streetlights to LED lights throughout the city.
The brighter lights use less energy than the older
lights and cost less to maintain, translating to savings
on the city’s energy bill and savings to the utility
district’s maintenance costs.
“They’re more energy-efficient and they’re safer,”
added Logan Brady, an associate civil engineer with
the City of Shelton. “They provide so much more
visible light. The old lights had an orange glow, while
the white light shows a much truer color.”
The energy savings allows PUD No. 3 to purchase less
energy from the federal Bonneville Power
Administration, which helps stabilize the district’s
wholesale energy costs, said PUD No. 3 spokesperson
Joel Myer.
“Every bit of electricity we’re able to squeeze is
helpful in an incremental way,” he said. “And we were
out there replacing the older bulbs every two to three
years, while LED lights last 11 years or more. A
lineman replacing a bulb means they’re not out there
responding to an outage.”
The utility district also lowered the city’s energy rate by 30 percent last fall, contingent on the grant award, saving
the city about $38,000 a year, or $570,000 over the next 15 years.
“By updating the remaining streetlights, the city will capitalize on a 69 percent wattage reduction,” said Justin
Holzgrove, energy resources manager at PUD No. 3. “That’s enough to power about 35 average homes in Shelton for
a full year.”
The Relight Washington program encourages municipalities to reinvest their energy savings into road infrastructure,
which Brady said he expects the city to do.
LED streetlights on Olympic Highway North in Shelton provide
brighter coverage and are easier to maintain. The City of
Shelton received a grant to pay Mason County Public Utility
District No. 3 to continue its conversion of older lights in
Shelton to new LED lights.
(Photo: Contributed photo / City of Shelton)
pg 65
Page 69
The city will use the grant money to reimburse the PUD for the lights it has already swapped out in Shelton (more
than 500) and to pay the district for converting approximately 250 lights that still need to be changed. Those
conversions will happen in the next two months.
The average cost of updating one street light is $346.
Holzgrove had approached the city about the Relight Washington grant years ago, when the district first began to
convert the high-pressure sodium lights to LED lights, but prior city leadership wasn’t interested in the partnership.
“I’m not sure the PUD had great cooperation from the people who had been here before,” said Brady with the City
of Shelton. “We’re excited now to be moving in the right direction and working with our community partners to
better the city.”
Brady started work at the city in January 2017 and a couple months later approached Holzgrove about the Relight
Washington grant.
“Brady did a fantastic job spearheading efforts to secure funding for this important project,” said City Manager Ryan
Wheaton. “His innovative approach and creative application of this grant program is greatly appreciated. We are
excited to continue our partnership with Mason PUD 3.”
Brady’s work, as well as new leadership under Wheaton, Public Works Director Craig Gregory and City Engineer Bob
Tauscher has lead to positive changes, Holzgrove said.
“They are all new blood and they are all fantastic to work with,” he said. “They’re just great and we’re excited to
work with the city. It was the right thing to do anyway, so we went forward with our LED conversion, but it’s great to
have the city involved.”
In North Mason, PUD No. 3 has worked with the Port of Allyn and homeowners associations in Trails End, Beards
Cove and Lynch Cove to erect LED streetlights in previously darkened corners of Mason County.
“The port reached out to Mason County and the Washington Department of Transportation for help with lighting,
but they weren’t able get anywhere,” Holzgrove said. “We’ve seen in the north end citizen groups take on these
projects and we’ve been impressed with that.”
Those communities paid no upfront costs for the lights; PUD No. 3 will recoup its costs through the daily rate it
charges.
The utility district would like to work directly with Mason County on lighting projects, but the county has been
preoccupied with passing its 2018 budget.
“We have made overtures to the county about the opportunity to do some swapping out of the high-pressure
sodium fixtures with LED light and we’re still trying to find out if they have an interest in that,” Myer said.
The utility district has gone so far as to create designs for the county, Holzgrove added.
“The county commissioners are aware of the many dark intersections in Mason County and they’ve asked for a
solution,” he said. “We’ve made ourselves available for that. We’re good at building things and being specialists in
the area. Let us take care of the heavy lifting.”
pg 66
Page 70
Improvements to come to Second Ave in the new year
December 29, 2017
WALLA WALLA, Washington – Improvements are said to be coming to Walla Walla’s infrastructure in 2018.
In the spring, the Second Ave project will reconstruct Second Avenue from Rose Street to US Highway 12.
Improvements will include minor replacement of sewer and water mains, stormwater facility upgrades, modification
to street lighting, sidewalks and the traffic signal at Pine street.
The total project cost is estimated at $1.6 million. The city received a grant from the Transportation Improvement
Board in the amount of about $934 thousand, which will cover a bulk of the cost. The rest of the project funding
comes from $465 thousand from the Transportation Benefit District and $200 thousand from the Infrastructure
Repair and Replacement Program.
Second Avenue.
Photo courtesy of the city of Walla Walla.
pg 67
Page 71
Construction on Water Street in Port Townsend to begin Tuesday
by Peninsula Daily News
January 1, 2018
PORT TOWNSEND — Construction will begin Tuesday
on a $2.3 million project to upgrade Port Townsend’s
downtown.
The Water Street Enhancement Project promises to
be a “major disruption,” as Councilman Robert Gray
put it, until it is completed in about six months.
But once finished, it will have replaced 80-year-old
sewer lines running under Water Street, while putting
in infrastructure that will see overhead utilities such
as power lines moved underground by 2020.
It will revamp Water Street sidewalks to bring them
into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act, resize parking spaces in downtown to make them
more uniform and transform the small parking lot at
the end of Tyler Street into a pedestrian area with
beach access.
Upgrades are planned from the Port Townsend ferry landing to Taylor Street.
Businesses are expected to remain open. City officials said the goal is to keep at least one lane open downtown at all
times.
Tyler Street on the south side of Water Street will be closed to traffic when the pedestrian plaza is constructed,
although pedestrians will continue to have access.
The city budgeted $2.7 million for the project.
The city was awarded $690,000 from the state Transportation Improvement Board and has about $950,000 in
funding available from the water, sewer and stormwater utility funds.
To keep customers coming to businesses during construction, the Port Townsend Main Street Program plans events
for each month to attract more people to downtown and has printed coupon books with special offers.
Mari Mullen, executive director of Port Townsend Main Street, has said that almost 60 businesses have signed up to
participate.
The theme for the campaign is “paving the way to a brighter future.”
Main Street is using a $35,000 grant from the First Federal Community Foundation and $25,000 from the city to host
the events and spread the word.
Tim Childs, traffic control supervisor for Interwest
Construction in Carlsborg, places no parking signs along
Water Street in downtown Port Townsend on Friday. On
Tuesday, the company will start a project that includes
replacing sewer lines and placing power lines underground.
(Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
pg 68
Page 72
First Federal also has contributed to Main Street’s Light at the End of Tunnel (LENT) Fund, which allows local
businesses to secure micro-loans from the revolving fund for up to $4,000.
Throughout the construction, “celebrity concierges” will greet visitors downtown and help out wherever they can
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Mullen said.
This month, the special downtown event is the “Believe it or Knot” game, in which visitors are encouraged to visit
numerous shops downtown to learn more about Port Townsend.
The theme for February is “Local Love.” People will be encouraged to shop and dine downtown during construction
and to share what they love about Port Townsend.
On Saturdays in March, the Jefferson County Historical Society will offer tours. In April, visitors will be encouraged to
count their steps to be entered in prize drawings.
May will be an art month and in June, Mullen expects Main Street to celebrate the completion of the construction
project with the Tyler Street Plaza Wrap-Up Party.
For more information about special events, see http://ptmainstreet.org/.
For more about the project,see http://www.cityofpt.us/.
pg 69
Page 73
Judge clears way for start of Duportail bridge
by Wendy Culverwell
January 2, 2018
Apollo Construction of Kennewick will build the Duportail Bridge after a Benton County judge rejected a rival
bidder’s complaints about how it accounts for disadvantaged businesses.
The Richland City Council on Tuesday awarded the contract for the Yakima River crossing to Apollo — the lowest of
nine bidders for the lucrative project.
The council voted hire Apollo as part of the consent calendar during the first meeting of the year.
It had planned to do so in December, but N.A. Degerstrom Inc. of Spokane, the second-lowest bidder sued, arguing
Apollo’s bid should be dismissed.
Judge Jackie Shea Brown signed a temporary restraining order that prevented the city from signing the contract.
The two sides argued the issue on Dec. 29, and Judge Alex Ekstrom denied N.A. Degerstrom’s motion and lifted the
injunction, setting the stage for the council to complete the deal this week.
Apollo was the low bidder, offering to build the bridge, approaches and related structures for $25 million — about
$3 million less than the city engineer’s estimate.
Apollo Construction of Kennewick will build the Duportail Bridge after a Benton County
judge rejected a rival bidder’s complaints about how it accounts for disadvantaged
businesses.
File Tri-City Herald
pg 70
Page 74
Degerstrom first objected to the bid Dec. 5, when city
officials opened the proposals from would-be
contractors. The state transportation department
reviewed the issue and disagreed.
Apollo’s lower-than-expected price could pay off
handsomely for Richland car owners.
The council voted in 2017 to levy a $20 car tab fee on
about 40,000 vehicles registered in the city to raise
money for the bridge and for pavement work
throughout the city.
The $20 fee was predicated on the city needing to
raise about $4 million to supplement state and
federal grants paying for the project, which will cost
$38 million in total.
The city lowered its cost to $1.66 million. Mayor Bob
Thompson suggested the low bid could mean the city
won’t have to issue bonds for the last piece of the
funding package.
That could mean lowering the $20 car tab fee to a lesser amount, possibly in 2019.
Apollo is expected to begin staging the construction site in February.
The project includes all bridge-related construction, utilities, retaining walls, redirecting overhead power lines into
conduit and a new water line to secure service to south Richland.
The bridge is scheduled to open in 2020 and provide a new transportation link between the Queensgate district and
the downtown core. It is part of a long-standing transportation plan to relieve congestion and accommodate future
growth.
Apollo Construction of Kennewick will build the Duportail
Bridge after a Benton County judge rejected a rival bidder’s
complaints about how it accounts for disadvantaged
businesses. It is expected be built just upstream of the
Interstate bridges across the Yakima River.
Bob Brawdy Tri-City Herald
pg 71
Page 75
City accepts grant for Auburn Way North project
by Robert Whale
January 4, 2018
The Auburn Way North sidewalk improvement project is about improving the safety and efficiency of Auburn Way
North.
To make it happen, the City intends to fill in missing sections of sidewalk, construct ADA improvements, build a
rectangular rapid flashing beacon at the intersection with Auburn Avenue and install LED lighting.
The City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Nancy Backus to accept a $263,250 grant from the Washington State
Transportation Improvement Board to finance design and construction of the project.
The grant requires a local funding match of 20 percent and there is funding in the 102 Arterial Street fund to meet
the local funding match requirements of the grant.
City officials anticipate the work will start in the late summer of 2018.
pg 72
Page 76
Kent’s new South 224th Street overpass to cross Highway 167
Cranes in town as project begins
by Steve Hunter
January 5, 2018
Drivers in a couple of years will be able to use a new South
224th Street overpass to cross Highway 167 between the Kent
Valley and East Hill.
Two large cranes are in town to help build the overpass. City
officials estimate the bridge could be done in mid-2019.
It’s a major extension of the South 224th corridor that first
came in front of city leaders in the 1980s to help prepare for
population growth to move traffic between the East Hill and
Kent Valley.
Now decades later with funds in hand for the estimated $22.8
million first of three phases for the project, work has started.
San Francisco-based Malcolm Drilling, with a Pacific
Northwest office in Kent, is the subcontractor that owns and
operates the cranes. Kent-based SB Structures is the prime
contractor.
The cranes will be used to drill shafts in the Highway 167
center median for the overpass to support the new bridge,
said Ken Langholz, city project engineer, in an email. The
drilled shafts are 10 feet in diameter and up to 110 feet deep.
“These cranes will be needed throughout the project,”
Langholz said. “They are used for drilling the support piers for
the bridge. There are 11 piers and each will take about one
working week to complete for a total of 11 weeks. This work
will not be performed in a non-stop continuous manner, there
is some lag time between certain construction activities.”
Crews will use a 200-ton service crane with an 180-foot boom and a 150-ton excavator crane with a 95-foot boom to
perform the work. The cost of the overpass and road work is about $15.3 million, Langholz said. The total cost for
phase one is about $22.8 million, which includes right-of-way acquisitions, permitting, wetland mitigation,
engineering, construction management and miscellaneous costs.
Two large cranes are in place and other preparations
are being made for the South 224th Street overpass
project.
MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter
pg 73
Page 77
Workers in the first phase of the project will
construct a new three-lane roadway to
connect East Valley Highway (aka 84th
Avenue S./Central Avenue N.) and 88th
Avenue South.
Funds for the project will come from Local
Improvement District 363, the Washington
State Transportation Improvement Board, and
city traffic impact fees and drainage fees. The
state board approved a $5.7 million grant for
the first phase of construction and $5 million
for phase two.
The second phase, at an estimated cost of $13
million, includes widening 88th Avenue S./S.
218th Street to a three-lane roadway from
88th Avenue South to 94th Place South, as
well as a new bridge over Garrison Creek
along South 218th Street. That work will start
in mid-2018 and be completed by late 2019.
The third and final phase will widen South 218th/216th to a three-lane road from 94th Place South to Benson Road
(aka 108th Avenue SE/State Route 515). That work is expected to begin in 2020 or later at an estimated cost of $9
million.
The City Council unanimously approved the project in 2008 in an effort to provide an alternate route between the
Kent Valley and East Hill, as well as improve safety on the upper portion of the road where it will replace a narrow
street that lacks paved shoulders, sidewalks and a turn lane. Funding and permits delayed the project for about 10
years.
The road will run parallel to Highway 167 on the east side before going up South 218th Street to 98th Avenue South,
where it will curve to South 216th Street and then connect to 108th Avenue Southeast.
The South 228th corridor was one of three east-west corridors planned by the city in the 1980s to move traffic
between the West Hill and East Hill through the valley, said City Public Works Director Tim LaPorte. The other
corridors include South 277th Street and South 196th St reet.
This map shows where crews will extend South 224th Street across
Highway 167 and eventually up the East Hill.
COURTESY GRAPHIC, City of Kent
pg 74
Page 78
Sedro-Woolley road projects emphasize city development
by Kimberly Cauvel
January 10, 2018
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — Sedro-Woolley road projects that received state funding and are planned for this year have a
strong focus on supporting development throughout the city.
The city plans to repair and improve Fruitdale Road, widen Highway 20 and extend sidewalks where a business
center is being built, and improve sections of State Street through downtown.
Fruitdale Road is the sole route to the Sedro-Woolley Innovation for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Center.
Sedro-Woolley Public Works Director Mark Freiberger said the city is grateful for the grants, which use money
collected from the state gas tax to fund transportation projects.
The $2.7 million Fruitdale Road project that will benefit the SWIFT Center development is planned for construction
from May through October.
The city, Skagit County and Port of Skagit are working together on redeveloping the SWIFT Center, which is the site
of the former Northern State Hospital.
Sedro-Woolley-based company Janicki Bioenergy plans to locate research, development and potentially
manufacturing operations for its Omniprocessor machines and other products at the center.
The Omniprocessor converts human waste into drinking water and electricity.
The Fruitdale Road project will repair a collapsed section of the road west of the SWIFT Center, repave the road from
the center to city limits, extend sidewalks and bike lines into the area and add a roundabout at the entrance to the
center, according to project documents.
The county, port and Janicki Bioenergy have each contributed toward the cost of the project, according to city
documents.
The project planned for Highway 20 will also improve traffic in and out of the SWIFT Center, as well as benefit the
North Cascade Plaza off the highway on Moore Street. Freiberger said the plaza will be a business center that will
include storage units and retail shops.
The project will widen Highway 20 to three lanes, adding a center turn lane between Township Street and Fruitdale
Road, Freiberger said. Sidewalks and bike lanes that will also be added will connect with those coming to Fruitdale
Road.
The $819,500 project is planned for construction from July through October.
The $400,000 State Street project is also planned for construction from July through October.
It will involve paving an overlay on State Street from Highway 20 to Maple Street, from Rita Street to Metcalf Street
and from Metcalf Street to Fourth Street.
pg 75
Page 79
Along the section from Rita to Metcalf streets, the abandoned railroad crossing — just outside the site for the city’s
new library — will either be repaired or removed, according to city documents.
pg 76
Page 80
Construction to make Fir Street one-way
by Matthew Nash and Erin Hawkins
January 10, 2018
SEQUIM — More details are falling into place for the
long-planned reconstruction of a portion of Fir Street
near Sequim School District’s campuses.
Designs to reconstruct the deteriorating stretch from
Sequim Avenue to Fifth Avenue are anticipated to be
complete this spring with construction beginning in
July and slated to last around 18 months, said City
Engineer Matt Klontz.
The project will be one of the city’s biggest road
projects in recent years.
It will cost between $4.5 million and $5 million, with
funding largely coming from grants to redo water,
sewer and irrigation lines while reconstructing the
pavement that encounters flooding and potholes
throughout the year.
Some of the many aspects to the project include widening it to include bike lanes and Americans with Disabilities
Act-compliant sidewalks/curbs on both sides of Fir Street, adding a traffic light at the intersection of Fir/Fifth Avenue
and a pedestrian crossing signal with flashing strobe lights at Fir/Sequim Avenue, and moving utility poles
underground.
Klontz said the street will be widened to 45 feet from Sequim Avenue to Fourth Avenue and 53 feet wide from
Fourth to Fifth avenues.
Part of that includes two 5-foot wide bike lanes from Sequim to Fourth and two 6-foot bike lanes from Fourth to
Fifth.
But the details of how construction will go down is largely left to the contractor who will be selected after bids go
out in the spring, Klontz said.
“We don’t know if they’ll want to do it block by block or block off the whole stretch,” he said.
“We do know for traffic control, we’ll be making Fir Street one-way for westbound traffic. [Drivers] will be able to
use Second, Third, and Fourth [Avenue] intersections to turn but they won’t be able to when [the contractor is]
working in the intersections.”
Schools’ impact
With such a large project in the pipeline, Sequim school officials shared their concerns with Klontz and David
Garlington, Sequim public works director, on Jan. 2, at a Sequim School Board meeting.
Part of the plan for redoing Fir Street includes making this
east parking lot at Helen Haller Elementary a one-way road
into the main parking lot. Staff with the City of Sequim said it
won’t takeaway parking lots though.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
pg 77
Page 81
Before and after school, a bottleneck of traffic occurs at Helen Haller Elementary, Olympic Peninsula Academy and
Sequim High School that could be intensified with construction, school officials said.
Part of the project opens up a staff- and disabled-only parking lot between the district’s bus drop-off area and the
main parking lot to be one-way with its only entrance on Fir Street and exit into the main lot.
Helen Haller Principal Becky Stanton said she’s concerned about students walking along the sidewalks in the small
lot during pick-up and drop off times.
“That’s a really huge concern for safety for us with 300 kids,” she said. “That’s our main through-way to that bus
stadium parking lot.”
Board member Robin Henrikson asked if there was a disadvantage to leaving that parking lot blocked off to prevent
traffic from coming through.
“Is there a way to keep a sort of a wider area so parents can line up along the side of the sidewalks before pickup
and drop off times?” she asked.
“If that pullout is going away, is there an opportunity to build in a wider area that’s even bigger than the thing you
are taking away?”
Klontz said there may be an opportunity to make sidewalks wider but it would likely shift more into the school’s
property and cut down on parking.
City staff said they don’t want vehicles pulling into bike lanes to pick up children.
Henrikson said she anticipates traffic worsening in years to come as more parents opt to drop their children off.
“This is just an opportune time to think about more strategic ways to have that road help out,” she said.
Garlington said the possibility of having bike lanes and a parking lane will require another 10 feet of right of way.
“Maybe the city and the school district can work on some strategies of using the same configuration but different
ways we can route people or maybe different pickup points,” he said.
“The traffic on Fir Street is a mess… It’s going to be exacerbated if [parents] are parking in a bike lane when kids are
getting out of school and riding bikes.”
However, Garlington said “there’s really no good way to [add more lanes] without a whole lot more right of way
because you’re asking for so many things to share that road.”
When the project is finished, the existing parking lots and fields will move 4 to 5 feet and include a landscaping
buffer by the lots, Klontz said.
“Parking is at a premium,” he said, “so what we don’t want to do is take away parking.”
While traffic might be messy along Fir Street for more than a year, Klontz said the bus parking will remain
unaffected.
For more information on construction, contact Sequim Public Works at 360-683-4908.
pg 78
Page 82
New city-owned nursery replaces trees, saves money for Sumner
by Allison Needles
January 10, 2018
At the back of the Sumner Cemetery property, trees
in their early stages of life sprout from the ground.
They were planted there by the city of Sumner in
December, and in a few years, they’ll be serving an
important cause for the city.
The plot of land will serve as the city’s new nursery as
part of its Sumner Tree Care Program, which
“manages and replaces older, diseased (street) trees
that are uprooting sidewalks and trails” in the city.
There are about 4,000 street trees in Sumner, most of
them planted between sidewalks and streets.
“The idea is to start planting trees while they’re
young,” Sumner arborist Dan Gates said.
130 trees planted
Currently, there are 130 trees planted on a quarter
acre of Sumner property. They range from 10
different species, including California incense cedars,
Chinese dogwoods and weeping Alaskan yellow
cedars.
Gates worked retail for an arboretum for two years,
and knows what type of trees to look for that are right
for Sumner. It was important to stay away from trees
with thick-diameter leaves that, in the fall, can clog
drains and cause problems.
The city is “being smarter about selecting street
trees,” he said.
Having its own city nursery also saves the city money
in the long run. Trees are typically less expensive
when purchased as saplings.
For example, Chinese dogwood trees typically cost
the city $120 each to buy when full-grown. As
saplings, they cost $10 each. When city staff planted
40 dogwoods at the nursery, the city paid $400
instead of $4,800.
The cost could be part of Sumner’s budget moving
Arborist Dan Gates, right, and Public Works Director Derek
Barry examine the recently planted trees at the city of
Sumner’s new nursery. The 26-acre parcel is located on
unused land at the rear of Sumner Cemetery.
Drew Perine - drew.perine@thenewstribune.com
pg 79
Page 83
forward, said Public Works Director Derek Barry.
“If (the trees) are only ten bucks instead of 150, it can go a long way,” Barry said.
In March, Sumner was awarded a $250,000 Complete
Streets Award by the Transportation Improvement
Board. About $45,000 of that was allocated to
launching the Tree Care Program, which included
establishing a nursery and purchasing a stump
grinder, a tree spade and irrigation supplies.
DuPont is the only other neighboring city that has its
own nursery, Gates said. Sumner was facing similar
issues when it came to street trees — not only were
some of them “problem trees” that needed to be
replaced because they were damaging sidewalks, but
there are also instances of people driving into trees.
Street trees have a shorter life span, as they’re often
exposed to hot temperatures, compacted soils and all-
around harsher environments. Every year, anywhere
from five to 20 trees need to be replaced.
The nursery also allows the city to have specific trees
on-hand when needed. After storms damage trees,
local nurseries might run out of specific trees as cities
vie for them.
And when trees are needed for major city projects,
they can be planted early.
“If we can plan ahead we can do a pretty good job of
it,” Barry said.
As for the nursery’s location, Barry doesn’t expect any
interference with space needed for cemetery burials.
On 26 acres of cemetery property, there’s plenty of
room for expansion of the nursery if needed.
“It could be 50 to 100 years before we decide to come
this direction,” Barry said about the cemetery.
Arborist Dan Gates, right, and Public Works Director Derek
Barry check the stability of a row of weeping Alaska yellow
cedar recently planted at the city of Sumner’s new nursery.
The 26-acre parcel is located on unused land at the rear of
Sumner Cemetery.
Drew Perine - drew.perine@thenewstribune.com
A row of Hinoki cypress, which can fetch $200 to $300 for a
sizable specimen at a retail nursery, were purchased at $10
to $30 wholesale for the city of Sumner’s nursery.
Drew Perine - drew.perine@thenewstribune.com
pg 80
Page 84
Second Avenue overhaul in works from Rose Street to Highway 12
by Andy Monserud
January 10, 2018
Tourists entering Walla Walla this summer will travel
through construction on Second Avenue most of the
time, but to find their way out they may need to ask a
local.
The Walla Walla City Council at its 7 p.m. meeting
today will consider accepting a $934,850 grant from
the Washington State Transportation Improvement
Board to help pay for construction on Second Avenue
from Rose Street north to U.S. Highway 12.
Construction would begin in the spring and end in fall,
leaving Second a one-way street several blocks
southbound into town for much of the summer and
closing portions of it for shorter periods, according to
Monte Puymon of the city’s engineering division.
Those hoping to leave town, he said, would have to
make their way to Highway 12 via Myra Road or the
eastbound-only intersection on Clinton Street.
“It is going to be a big impact” on drivers, Puymon said. “I mean, that is the gateway to our city, so that’s going to be
a difficult few months.”
The city estimates its responsibility for the project will total $723,116, mostly from its Transportation Benefit District
but also including money from the water, wastewater and streets divisions, according to documents presented with
the Council’s agenda.
The construction itself will leave Second Avenue looking much the same, though without its present cracks and dips,
Puymon said. City engineering hopes to address poor soil quality underneath the road.
“We have really weak subgrade,” Puymon said. “The soil underneath the road in that area is soft, silty, saturated
material.”
The soil condition is due in part to the fact that the area is a high water table. The project will address the silty soil
through a process known as full-depth reclamation, which involves pulverizing the existing asphalt, mixing it with
soil and concrete and putting it under the road to create a firmer base. The new asphalt is then laid over that base,
leaving it less prone to cracking.
This process, Puymon said, has already been used on Isaacs Avenue and Rose Street in the past, and is appealing
because it allows the city to reuse aging road surfaces.
“We already have pretty much everything we need on-site,” he said. “It really is faster and cheaper.”
Motorists travel along Second Avenue this morning between
Rose Street and U.S. Highway 12. The City Council is
scheduled to consider an improvement project for the
roadway which would get underway this spring if approved.
Andy Porter
pg 81
Page 85
The project will also include some pedestrian improvements, Puymon said. The stoplight at the three-way
intersection at Second Avenue and Pine Street will see some changes, including the addition of an automated
pedestrian signal and changes to the controller for the traffic signal itself.
Work on that intersection, Puymon said, would have the greatest effect on traffic along Second, since it will have to
be closed for short periods. “It’s pretty hard to stage construction around an intersection like that, so that’s going to
be the biggest impact,” he said. “That might delay them at some certain times.”
Those closures, he said, would present the biggest delays to city services north of Highway 12, such as the police
department. While emergency vehicles are ordinarily allowed to cruise through construction zones, he said, outright
closures to intersections are a different story.
"Obviously our guys will have to take (construction) into consideration," said Kevin Braman of the Walla Walla Police
Department, "but we'll use other avenues such as Ninth (Avenue) and Moore Street to get into that area."
"We're not anticipating any huge issues, but obviously our immediate response to downtown might take a few extra
seconds to get down to Ninth," Braman said.
Also in the works is a crosswalk where Second meets Sumach Street, which is an uncontrolled intersection and hot
spot for vehicle-pedestrian accidents, Puymon said. Initially, the city hoped to have a sign with a flashing beacon
indicating to drivers that a pedestrian is crossing, akin to those located on Isaacs Avenue near Whitman College and
on Rose Street near Safeway. But a patent dispute led the Federal Highway Administration in December to remove
the beacons from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which sets standards for traffic controls on public
streets.
“MUTCD does not allow patented products in their publication, because they want to have competitive bidding,”
Puymon said, so pedestrians at the Sumach and Second intersection will have to make do with a fresh crosswalk.
The city is also taking the opportunity to do some lighting work in the area, Puymon said. The area is currently lined
with induction lighting, which will be replaced with LED lights.
“The new lighting should improve efficiency as well as lowering our electric bills in the future,” Puymon said.
In another streets project, the Council tonight also will consider a grant estimated to total $2,022,750 for the second
phase of its Isaacs Avenue rework. That grant, dubbed the Urban Arterial Program Grant, is one of several going
toward the multiphase project, totaling over $10.7 million in state and federal aid since 2015.
pg 82
Page 86
Poulsbo hires lobbying firm
by Nathan Pilling
January 14, 2018
POUSLBO – The city of Poulsbo has a new voice
representing it in Olympia.
Poulsbo City Council voted unanimously Wednesday
to hire a lobbyist in approving a contract with Bryan
McConaughy and his Gig Harbor-based firm
BMcConsulting for 2018.
McConaughy will be paid up to $26,000 over the
course of his contract to represent the city’s interests
in Olympia and report back on relevant legislative
happenings there, Mayor Becky Erickson said.
McConaughy will speak with legislators on behalf of
the city and monitor topics of interest, including plans
for chunks of money for projects coming via state
grants, potential future funding sources and
legislation that might impact city projects and
programs.
“The mayor and a few of us who are active in Olympia on council can’t live in ‘Rome,’ but he can,” Councilman Ed
Stern said. “We’re not there 24-7 or nearly enough part-time. He can act as our eyes and ears on those cutting-edge
issues.”
One of the immediate topics he’ll take up, Erickson said, is a funding request the city has for corridor improvements
along Noll Road, a major project that would transform that road into a new access point to the city’s eastern
neighborhoods, thus taking some pressure off Highway 305.
Other issues he’ll monitor are police body camera legislation, finding additional mental health funding for the city’s
behavioral health team, as well as finding funding for a new waterfront park on the west side of Liberty Bay and
maintaining other parks in the city, according to Erickson.
If it looks like state funding will be held up as in the 2017 session — when the Legislature didn’t pass a capital budget
— having someone in Olympia could give the city an early warning, Erickson said.
“We need to keep our eyes and ears open to Olympia,” Erickson said.
“We’ve been doing a lot of this internally, either through our engineering staff or Deb (Booher), our finance director,
or myself, but we’ve never had somebody that was actually in charge of it that could really follow through with it
and is there, in Olympia right now doing these jobs,” she said. “It’s going to be really helpful.”
McConaughy also represents the city of Bremerton as a lobbyist, according to the state’s Public Discloure
Commission. Poulsbo joins a number of local government jurisdictions that employ lobbyists, including the cities of
Bremerton and Port Orchard, Kitsap County, the Kitsap Public Utility District and Kitsap Transit.
Poulsbo City Hall
(Photo: file)
pg 83
Page 87
Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu said his city has used lobbying firm Gordon Thomas Honeywell on a few projects
over the last six-plus years, including to find funding for the city's DeKalb Street pier and for pedestrian paths.
Putaansuu said the firm's work was especially helpful in pulling in an $8 million grant from the state’s Transportation
Improvement Board for the city’s Tremont Gateway project, a road-widening effort with bike lanes, sidewalks and
two roundabouts.
“Right now I’m getting emails from our lobbyist keeping me abreast of bills being discussed down in Olympia,” he
said Friday. “Staff and I evaluate those and give feedback. I’ve got a good relationship with all three members of our
(legislative) delegation, but I’m not down there every day. Our lobbyist is.”
pg 84
Page 88
Tumwater’s plan to tackle 1 problem intersection? Add 3 roundabouts
Collaborative Effort: Progress on Borst Avenue Sidewalk Project Detailed at Workshop
by Abby Spegman
January 14, 2018
Updated January 16, 2018
Tumwater wants to trade in one problem intersection
for three new roundabouts in the hopes of easing
traffic along Capitol Boulevard at Trosper Road.
The plan is to put a roundabout at the intersection of
Capitol and Trosper, another one at the northbound
Interstate 5 ramps on Trosper, and a third one on a
new north-south street parallel to Capitol.
The work is set to begin in 2020.
Any intersection can only accommodate a certain
amount of traffic, said Jay Eaton, Tumwater’s public
works director. To make the Capitol-Trosper
intersection “big enough” to accommodate future
traffic would have required adding several lanes or a
three-lane roundabout.
“Historically that’s what you’ve seen happening —
you have more traffic and things have to get bigger to
accommodate that. On this one, it was getting too
big,” Eaton said.
Instead, officials designed a plan to divert traffic from
the intersection by providing an alternate route to
northbound I-5, which is where many drivers are
headed. Drivers coming from the south would be able
to take the new street between Trosper and Lee
Street, go around the first roundabout, and access the
on-ramp there.
tumwater_intersection (2)
The plan is to put a roundabout at the intersection of
Capitol and Trosper Road, another one at the
northbound Interstate 5 ramps on Trosper, and a
third one on a new north-south street parallel to
Capitol.
Courtesy City of Tumwater
Diverting some of that traffic means traffic through
the Capitol-Trosper intersection could be
accommodated by a two-lane roundabout.
Traffic rolls through the busy intersection at Trosper Road
and Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater on Friday.
Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com
The plan is to put a roundabout at the intersection of Capitol
and Trosper Road, another one at the northbound Interstate
5 ramps on Trosper, and a third one on a new north-south
street parallel to Capitol.
Courtesy City of Tumwater
pg 85
Page 89
The plan had to be approved by the state’s
Department of Transportation because it impacts I-5.
The city received a $6.6 million state grant for the
$11.8 million project; the rest of the money would
come from the city’s transportation fund.
Eaton said 35 percent to 40 percent of the project
budget will go to acquiring rights of way, including
buying buildings to tear them down. At Capitol and
Trosper, the Sound Credit Union building will have to
come down to make room for the roundabout. There
also is an apartment complex that will have to come
down to make room for the new street.
“It’s a challenging area. Anytime you try to do
improvements in an area that’s already built up, it’s a
challenge,” Eaton said.
The city’s 2014 Capital Boulevard Corridor Plan, which
called for improvements in the area to address traffic
and encourage development, highlighted the Trosper
intersection as a problem area.
People who work nearby agree the changes are
needed.
“That makes me really happy because that
intersection is really awful,” said Jude Huston, a shift
superior at Starbucks on Capitol, less than a block
from the Trosper intersection. She said there are
often crashes because of drivers trying to turn left off
of and onto Capitol from the coffee shop.
Across the street, Mary Blakely at Thompson’s
Furniture agrees the current configuration is bad.
“All these business will be impacted once they start
tearing up that intersection,” she said. “But I don’t
know how they can’t do it. Something has to
change.”
Traffic backs up on Capitol Boulevard at the Trosper Road
traffic light.
Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com
Traffic rolls through the intersection of Trosper Road and
Capital Boulevard in Tumwater on Friday.
Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com
pg 86
Page 90
Battle Ground converting to energy-efficient LED streetlights
Source: City of Battle Ground
January 17, 2018
This month the city of Battle Ground will begin upgrading the city’s 2,300 streetlights to high-efficiency LED (light
emitting diode) lighting.
The conversion from the current HPS (high-pressure sodium) lighting to LED will reduce power and maintenance
costs as well as provide better, more reliable lighting. The cost of the project, nearly $530,000, is fully funded by a
Washington State Transportation Improvement Board Relight Washington Program grant and Clark Public Utilities’
Energy Savings Incentives program.
LED fixtures use about 50 percent less energy, last four times longer than HPS fixtures, and provide better service
reliability. With the conversion of all 2,300 streetlights, the city will realize an annual savings of approximately
$53,000 in energy costs and another $15,000 on maintenance costs.
The new lights, rated at a color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin (K), produce a warm-white appearance. LED fixtures
improve the amount of lighting on roadways. Unlike HPS fixtures that dump light in a non-directional pool, LEDs emit
light in a wider, more focused beam, increasing visibility in dark spots between light fixtures. The more-targeted LED
light also means less light waste or light pollution; with the new LED lighting, stars will appear more brilliant on a
clear Battle Ground night.
The city has conducted tests of LED fixtures in both cobra-head style streetlights, located on main thoroughfares
throughout the city, and in the decorative acorn-style streetlights located in neighborhoods. In 2012, a successful
pilot project was conducted on cobra-head lights located on Rasmussen Boulevard. Both 27- and 36-watt, 3000K LED
bulbs were installed in several streetlights in a residential neighborhood. Adjacent homeowners, as well as staff and
members of the city council, stated their preference for the 36-watt LED bulb.
The LED streetlight conversion project will begin mid-January and take approximately four months to complete.
More information on the LED Streetlight Conversion project is available on the city’s website at cityofbg.org/LED-
lights.
pg 87