County readies for Airway Drive move

EPHRATA — Grant County is in the process of reviewing four bids for moving Airway Drive, so it loops around the red parking lot of the Grant County Fairgrounds.

This is one of the last of a series of improvements the county made to the fairgrounds in the past two years. The county took out a $12 million bond to pay for work to the septic systems, electrical system, and build a new horse barn and new 4-H building.

The bids for the road move ranged from $711,011 to $898,333. The commissioners opened the bids Tuesday, forwarding them to public works for review.

The lowest bid was provided by Central Washington Asphalt of Moses Lake.

Commissioner Cindy Carter said she was pleased with the bids, adding they all came in below the $1.1 million estimate for the project.

“Everything we’ve done at the fairgrounds has been coming in under budget,” she said. “It’s nice. We’re able to do more projects.”

Presently, the road divides the parking lot from the fairgrounds. Once the project is completed Airway Drive is going to run along the side of the parking lot. The existing road and the tunnel leading to the fairgrounds will be removed and replaced with more parking spaces.

Carter said the change in the roadway increases the convenience and safety for people coming to the fairgrounds, adding people coming to big events often have to use the tunnel to enter the facility.

“If they parked on the grass, there’s a possibility of them backing into a building,” she said. “It’s really difficult for them to park near the (4-H) building … and for more formal events, it’s just more of a pain to walk through the gravel.”

The county also received $55,000 in federal stimulus money to build a sidewalk along the west side of the road once it’s finished.

While construction won’t start until after the 2009 fair, a specific start date was not set, Carter said, adding the county is planning to keep the road open as much as possible.

“It shouldn’t take very long to get that done,” she said. “We’re hoping for a smooth transition.”

The county still has roughly $1 million left. Carter said the county, the fair facilities advisory committee and the fair board were examining a covered arena.