Rosalia awards sidewalk contract

A contract has been awarded for the Rosalia sidewalk project.

The town council met Tuesday night, Oct. 11, and awarded the contract to Cameron-Reilly Concrete, Spokane Valley. The contract was awarded at $105,477.

“That came in 32 percent below, so that’s good,” said Trevor Skelton, project manager with J-U-B Engineers out of Spokane. “Our estimate was $156,000. We’re just excited to get it going.”

A pre-construction meeting with town representatives, J-U-B and Cameron-Reilly is slated for today, Thursday, and a more definitive schedule for the construction will be laid out at that time.

“We’ll set the start of the project, which will depend on when the contractor can get a crew together,” said Skelton. “A week or two after that would be nice.”

The sidewalk project entails improvements of the sidewalk on the west side of Josephine Avenue from Seventh to Ninth streets. The improvements include removal and replacement of existing sidewalk and installation of ADA concrete ramps.

Skelton said the sidewalk will be widened to five to six feet in places and tactile strips for those who are vision impaired will be installed at crossings. Mayor Nanette Konishi said people in town have been supportive of the project.

“We did a walk around to residents’ houses who are going to be affected by the project, and they were very favorable about what was going to happen,” she previously told the Gazette. “It’s an area that has needed some work for a long time.”

Once started the project is estimated to take 15 working days to complete. Mayor Konishi said weather could end up being a factor.

“That’s always a possibility,” she said.

Skelton said he thinks the weather should not get in the way too much.

“If it’s pouring buckets, then you start to get concerned about the moisture of the concrete,” he said. “But the cold won’t be a problem. They can lay down the concrete just fine.”

He added that crews may utilize concrete blankets to keep the concrete at an optimal temperature while it is curing.

The project is being funded by the Transportation Improvement Board’s Safe Routes to School program.