Town approves contract amendment amidst park project discussion

During its session on Monday, July 7, the Cathlamet Town Council approved a $6,900 contract amendment with consulting engineer Grey & Osborne "to revise the design plans for Waterfront Park by removing the Strong Park path reconstruction and instead constructing an ADA-compliant parking lot at Pocket Park." According to the Town of Cathlamet website, this change "will defer the requirement to make Strong Park ADA accessible at this time, thereby preserving the tree."

Prior to the agenda item, Town Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark, having been asked to do so by Councilmembers Crystal Baker and Laurel Waller, presented a cost update on the Waterfront Park project. During a previous session of Town Council, a question was raised by Councilmember Jeanne Hendrickson how much it would impact the budget if the Town "walked away" from the project.

"The total project cost for Phase 1 at this moment is about $982,208," Clark said during the July 7 meeting. "The Town is receiving two grants totaling $583,420, so the Town is responsible for funding $398,000. They've spent $252,157...If we canceled right now, we would still be responsible for paying up to $122,680 for outstanding contractual obligations, for the engineering, cultural resources, fill, and excavation. That would bring our total cost if we walked away to $374,837. If we don't walk away, it will cost us $398,788, so we'd be saving approximately $24,000, but that would free up somewhere around $230,000 - a little bit less - in the Town's budget."

According to the Town's website, the Town has spent $252,157 on the project. Of that, $91,317 has been reimbursed by the RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) grant, $30,317 has been applied toward the Town's required match, and $130,523 was used from reserves. The website shows "approximately $730,051 in expenditures remain" for the project. Of these, $492,103 is expected to be reimbursed through grants, which would leave the Town's remaining obligation at $237,948. Of that obligation, $135,683 is "match" and $102,265 is reserves.

During the July 7 meeting, Councilmember Hendrickson asked Clark what is the "attitude" of the grant writer. "We still don't have a grant contract with the Department of Commerce for the second grant because they require us to have final designs before they'll issue the final contract," said Clark. "I know that they're getting a little bit frustrated with all of our delays." Clark went on to say she thinks the town will get the grant "as long as the tree stuff gets resolved," referring to the tree at Strong Park that has been the subject of much debate over the past several months. During the June 16 session, Town Council approved "a property boundary line adjustment" for Strong Park, the purpose of which being "to save the tree."

Following the numbers portion of the discussion, Councilmember Joe Baker, speaking on the project in general, said, "I've always been a very strong supporter of the park...Just because I was hoping Town Council would get something done while I was on Town Council because we haven't done squat...This was something I had hoped we would get to see done."

Though the prospect of "walking away" from the project has now entered discussion over multiple Town Council meetings, the $6,900 contract amendment suggests the Town isn't quite ready to do so just yet.

For more info, visit townofcathlamet.com.