Rosalia sidewalk project nears completion

The sidewalk construction project in Rosalia is set to wrap up by the end of this week. Contractor Cameron-Reilly Concrete of Spokane Valley started in late October and was originally expected to take 15 working days to complete. Mayor Nanette Konishi said there have been some minor delays which extended the time of the project.

“Right now, they’re at the end where the school is and they’re doing some storm water revisions,” Konishi told the Gazette Friday. “They’re hoping to get it done by Thanksgiving.”

Konishi said change orders to the project added “beefing up” a retaining wall because of a slope, taking out stairs in a slope and replacing them with concrete and the storm water revisions. The change orders added to the cost.

“The price has gone up because of the change orders, but we had plenty of budget to work with,” said Konishi.

The contract was awarded to Cameron-Reilly Concrete for $105,477, which was well below the $156,000 estimate by J-U-B Engineers out of Spokane.

Konishi said the project has been a long-time coming and has had a great reception in town.

“It’s beautiful. Certainly no complaints from the citizens involved with it,” she said. “It’s going to be well-received all around.”

One benefit of the project, Konishi said, is keeping children off the streets on the way to school.

“It will encourage the kids to stay out of the middle of the street,” she said, commenting that many of the children preferred walking on the street to the sidewalk because of the condition of the concrete and several bushes in their way.

The project improved the sidewalk on the west side of Josephine Avenue from Seventh to Ninth streets and includes the removal and replacement of existing sidewalk and the installation of ADA concrete ramps. The sidewalk was widened to six feet in places, and tactile strips for people who are vision impaired were also installed at crossings. It was funded by the Transportation Improvement Board’s Safe Routes to School program.

Konishi said she is grateful the project is almost wrapped up and that many factors worked in the town’s favor.

“We’re all grateful that the weather held out for as long as it did so we could get this done,” she said. “And we appreciate all the hard work that’s been done with the construction company and the engineers.”