Othello Main Street project is delayed

OTHELLO — The Main Street renovation project in Othello is several weeks behind its initial completion date.

The project began in early July, according to city documents.

Originally set to be completed by Dec. 7, the project now has a projected completion date of Dec. 27.

Some of the project’s renovations includes repairing portions of the street, water and sewing mains, curbs and gutters.

The project will additionally install wheelchair ramps and traffic signals.

The extension has councilmember Marc Spohr upset.

“What are we supposed to tell the citizens? To be this late in the project is inexcusable. We look like a bunch of village idiots,” said Spohr in a recent city council meeting. “It is a bone-jarring, head-rattling trip trying to walk through that area.”

The construction has left parts of downtown Othello with unpaved roads for weeks.

Certain parts of the street’s sidewalks are closed as well.

If contractors miss the Dec. 27 deadline, they will have to pay the city $1,000 per day in penalties charges, excluding inclement weather.

Spohr said he was mainly concerned with smoothing the roadways and completing the sidewalks so that citizens could travel easier.

He said he thought the upcoming holiday season would only exacerbate the project’s slow progress.

“I don’t know how the employees are going to hold up in these upcoming weeks. They are going to be tired and cold and want to go home for the holidays,” said Spohr.

Upcoming temperatures could also slow down the progress, said Spohr.

“I don’t understand how we are supposed to complete what needs to be completed with freezing temperatures coming up,” he said.

MRM Construction, an Ellensburg-based company, has been working on the Main Street project since July.

“Schedules are moving targets,” said Larry Julius, project manager for Gray & Osborne, a public works company acting as a liaison between contractors and the city of Othello.

Julius said the contractor will begin paving various sections starting next week.

Contractors hit slight delays early on in the project when its grinding equipment failed.

The council added more work onto the project after the original contract was agreed upon.

The additions included work on Olympic Street and improving the manholes on Main Street.

Councilmembers were advised the additional work would add more time to the original completion date, according to Julius.

Councilmember Kenneth Caylor said he wished the city would have built temporary sidewalks in advance.

“I’m not sure who is to blame on that one, whether it be the contractors or the city for not building some sort of structure for people to walk on during construction,” said Caylor.

Councilmembers and the construction teams agreed that more communication was needed between the two organizations.

Project engineers meet with the city on a weekly basis to discuss progress and any upcoming complications, according to Julius.

“I don’t believe anybody intentionally lied here. I think when we try to offer up to date reports, things can very easily change from one report to the next,” said City Administrator Ehman Sheldon. “The council can certainly take charge of the construction but they would have to do that by taking charge of the schedule, and that would cost money.”

He said city council was presented with the option of a council set schedule before the bidding process began.

Councilmembers declined because it would cost more to have a schedule set by council than by a contractor, said Sheldon.

Councilmember Charles Garcia reminded city officials that the contractor has not technically failed.

“The job has not finished. The contractor has until Dec. 27 to finish the job. They have not failed the job until then,” said Garcia.

The project replaces roughly 1.2 miles of roadway on Main Street that is close to 40 years old, said Sheldon.

“Main street was failing, we had so many cracks that developed over the years,” said Sheldon.

The project will cost the city approximately $6.4 million, according to Sheldon.

MRM Construction has worked with the city of Othello on past construction projects.

Last summer, the company worked on raising the Broadway overpass so taller semi trucks could go through the overpass without damaging any crops sticking out of the top.

MRM Construction received an award from the state Department of Transportation for their efficiency and budgeting for the overpass project, according to Sheldon.

Gray & Osborne oversaw that project as well, he said.