Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The City of Tekoa expects to find out this week if a retaining wall which was built in 2013 can be improved to the point where construction funds now retained by the city will be paid to the contractor.
Built along Warren Street in summer 2013, the construction was deemed unsatisfactory by Mayor John Jaeger and the city council. The job was performed by Accelerated Construction of Plummer, Idaho, as part of a streets and sidewalks reconstruction project.
A crew from the company returned Monday to work again on the wall.
The $576,354 total project was paid for by a state Transportation Improvement Board grant.
The city has in turn held back $28,000 for retainage, a standard practice that allows a public entity to protest what may be incomplete or unsatisfactory work.
“The concrete is porous,” said Jaeger. “We kept waiting for them to make it look right. It needs to be sealed.”
City Engineer Matt Morkert met with representatives of Accelerated Construction in October, after which they responded last week that they would come out and apply a sealant.
Jaeger said it’s yet to be determined if the new work underway will settle the issue.
“If they can make it so paint will adhere to it, to smooth it out so it’s not porous, then we can make it look a little more attractive,” he said.
If the city council ultimately doesn’t accept the new work, the city could use the $28,000 in retainage to hire another contractor to take up the matter.
Accelerated Construction was awarded the project by the city last year by lowest bid. A city is required by law to choose the lowest bidder.
“When you have to take a low bid, that’s not always the best thing,” Jaeger said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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