Briefing No. 26
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project

August 19, 2011

Good morning,

Project watchers this week will have witnessed Strider crews in action both east and west of the archaeological discovery block. Between Dock and Ireland, the last remaining vaults and irrigation lines are now in place as this stretch is being readied for new sidewalks beginning next week. Between Ilwaco and Midway, work is underway to install the last of the underground pipes and services in preparation for curbs and gutters, also beginning next week.

The concrete subcontractor, S&S Concrete, is scheduled to arrive in town next early next week. Over the next two weeks, they will be working both east and west of the archaeological discovery block, balancing sidewalk work between Dock and Ireland with curb and gutter work east of Ilwaco. The reason that some of their time must be directed to curb and gutter work between Ilwaco and Midway is simply to keep Strider’s crew busy while the sidewalk work is ongoing. In other words, if S&S was to focus solely on the Dock to Ireland sidewalks next week, a portion of Strider’s crew would be idle which would extend the substantial completion date and likely subject the City to additional costs for lost efficiency. The contractor’s schedule calls for completion of the Dock to Ireland sidewalks and the Ilwaco to Midway curb and gutter by September 1, or just in time for the next First Friday event.

Construction Work

□ Within Phase 1, work may continue within the planting areas depending on the availability of the landscaping subcontractor. City staff have stressed the importance of completing the irrigation and adding topsoil to these areas so that the pedestrian barrier fencing can finally be removed. In addition, two sidewalk panels, one in front of the Casual House and one in front of the Pioneer Project Office, will be removed and re-poured due to poor quality workmanship during the grinding process.

□ This past week, work within Phase 2 concentrated on preparing for the arrival of the concrete contractors next week. Meter boxes and vaults were raised to match the new sidewalk grade, irrigation was completed to the planting areas and planter pot locations and electrical and communications service connections were completed to individual buildings. East of Ilwaco, the street and parking areas were graded in preparation for the curb and gutter work and irrigation piping was installed.

□ Looking ahead to the two weeks between August 22 and September 2, the focus as noted above will be on sidewalks between Dock and Ireland Streets and installation of curb and gutter east of Ilwaco Street. Once the curb and gutter work is in place, Strider will begin preparing the sidewalk areas between Ilwaco and Midway. Please note that no construction work will be scheduled for the Ilwaco to Ireland block until the archaeological work is complete, with possible exception of some sidewalk area preparation on the north side.

The Archaeological Work

□ The City’s consulting archaeological firm, Northwest Archaeological Associates (NWAA), in cooperation with Tribal representatives, should complete as much work as they are currently authorized to complete by the end of next week. As noted earlier, additional human remains were exposed within several of the test pits. In accordance with the City’s archaeological permit, the presence of human remains in the test pits triggers a requirement for additional consultation with State and Tribal representatives to determine the next steps. The State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation has called for a meeting early in September to have this discussion.

□ NWAA was scheduled to proceed next week with archaeological testing on the north side of Pioneer Way between Ireland and Ilwaco Streets. However, with the consultation meeting delayed until early September, we were faced with the prospect of full closure of this block for as long as three weeks. For that reason, we have asked NWAA to delay testing on the north side until after the consultation meeting.

□ An archaeological monitor is in place whenever Strider or one of their contractors performs any excavation work. In addition, city and contracting staff have also been trained by NWAA and Tribal officials in the basics of archaeological law and reporting requirements.

Scheduled Gatherings/Events

AM TUESDAY COFFEES Every Tuesday morning – 9:00 to 10:00 am
Pioneer Way Information and Construction Office
Have a cup and pastry, hear what’s on the schedule for that week

FIRST FRIDAY Friday, September 2 – 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
First Friday Art Walk and Late Night Shopping
Fall Fashion Preview Walks at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm

Key City Contact People

These are your go-to City staff for issues connected to the construction project:

Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org

Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org

Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-614-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org

Other Places for Information

Pioneer Way Web Page - http://www.oakharbor.org/page.cfm?pageId=379

Pioneer Way Project Blog - http://pioneerway.blogspot.com/