Lewis County takes another step in restoring fairgrounds infrastructure
Lewis County is taking action on drainage issues at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds roughly one year after the county's capital infrastructure specialist urged action.
The Board of Lewis County Commissioners awarded a contract worth just under $1 million to Midway Underground LLC during a business meeting on Tuesday morning.
The project aims to rip out and replace elements of the water drainage system at the fairgrounds and finish up by pouring new concrete that will level off many of the patchy surfaces along the midway.
Lewis County Capital Infrastructure Specialist Matt Patana urged the commissioners to take action on drainage and uneven grading throughout the midway last year during a tour of a previous project that replaced the eroded pipes of the fairgrounds' water mainline. During the tour, Patana pointed out drainage grates that were failing or caving in and uneven concrete highlighted by neon shades of spray paint to avoid tripping hazards.
Patana emphasized at the time that the county could save money on the drainage project if they acted before the water mainline project was finished, in part by not having to go through the bidding process again. The county was unable to jump on the project at the time due to cost constraints.
The contract for the new work was awarded to the lowest of three bidding contractors. Midway Underground beat out the competition with a low bid of $978,800 for the project. The two competing bids came in roughly $75,000 higher. All bids came in within $100,000 of the county's expected costs for the project of around $1 million, according to Patana.
While the new work was briefly associated with the water mainline project due to its impacts on similar parts of the fairgrounds, the water drainage project is entirely separate. While the mainline project was supported by American Rescue Plan Act funds from the county and the City of Centralia, the current project is funded entirely by the county's REET 2 fund.
REET is a common acronym in the state that refers to a real estate excise tax that is levied on most property sales in the state. Under state law, REET 1 and 2 are both dedicated to capital projects and maintenance. REET 2 can only be collected by local governments that are in compliance with the Washington state Growth Management Act.
The scope of the work is limited to the main internal route of the fairgrounds, according to Patana, and as such should not impact anything outside the fairgrounds. The contract for the work states the work is permitted to begin as early as June 8. Patana confirmed work is expected to start soon, possibly on the first date allowed by the contract.
The contract for the work also includes stipulations that require the work to be completed in time so as to not negatively impact the Southwest Washington Fair, which will open on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Specifically, the contract includes an "event ready deadline" of Friday, July 31, to allow adequate time for preparation for the fair.
"All excavations within public or event-accessible areas must be backfilled, secured, plated or otherwise rendered safe before July 31 and prior to any scheduled events thereafter," states the contract.
Final and total completion of the project is required by Thursday, Oct. 1. Both deadlines come with possible financial fees the county could collect if Midway Underground LLC fails to meet them, including as much as $10,000 a day for the July 31 deadline and $500 a day for the Oct. 1 deadline.
For previous reporting by The Chronicle on last summer's tour of the fairgrounds water mainline project, visit https://tinyurl.com/5xz6vbun.
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