Walking path construction discussed by Mattawa Council
Work on a walking path along Government Road, pictured in early October, was discussed at the Dec. 15 Mattawa City Council meeting.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
MATTAWA — The Mattawa City Council wants to know when will work will resume on a walkway along Government Road.
At a regular meeting on Thursday, Council Member Tony Acosta asked about the procedure for resuming work, which was halted in late November with the arrival of cold weather, and who is in charge of setting a date for the construction restart.
“My concern is figuring out if we were going to put a date to start back up, so the clock can start ticking again,” Acosta said. “Are we going to leave it open-ended?”
The path extends along Government Road from the roundabout at State Route 243 to the top of the hill, approximately to the intersection with Brian Avenue South. The project was funded with a grant of about $695,000.
The path will include both asphalt and sidewalks and is designed to provide a more pedestrian-friendly route for people who live in the residential areas on the west side of SR 243.
Council member Brian Berghout said he wasn’t sure there could be a definite resumption date since the stoppage was weather-related. Acosta said he wasn’t sure of the procedure when a project has been suspended for weather.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a work stoppage like this,” Acosta said.
Work started on the path during the summer. Public works employee Jose Fernandez, attending the meeting for department director Juan Ledezma, said the project encountered some delays.
“We’re still waiting on the phone company to relocate the utility lines for the Government (Road) pathway project,” Fernandez said.
The project was suspended Nov. 21 due to the arrival of bad weather, according to a letter sent to the council by Michael Meskimen of Gray & Osborne, the city’s engineers.
City attorney Katherine Kenison said the city does need to come up with a date to resume work, but that’s not necessarily a task for the council.
“We will want some date that the contractor is to resume,” Kenison said. “Between the engineer and the public works director, typically then the contractor is given orders to resume work when the weather permits. So it’s not just hanging out there,” Kenison said. “Staff should be giving that directive to the contractor once the weather permits.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at education@columbiabasinherald.com.