Shutdown could affect water system upgrade
More than $1.8 million in projects to improve infrastructure and economic vitality in Twisp are planned for 2019, although a prolonged government shutdown could mean a delay in one major project, said Public Works Director Andrew Denham.
The largest project planned this year, reconstruction of Canyon Street between Third Avenue and Highway 20, is scheduled for this summer. The $781,478 project involves reconstructing the street, installing a paved shared-use path, and installing a new water system and meters from Fifth Avenue to Highway 20.
Funding for the water portion of the project is from a $239,200 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one of the federal agencies impacted by the government shutdown. If the shutdown continues, it could mean that the plans for the water system may not be reviewed and approved by USDA in time to carry out the work as scheduled this summer, Denham said.
The new water system improvements are needed to improve fire flow and prevent leaks or breaks in aging pipes. After design and engineering are completed, USDA must sign off before the project can be sent out to bid. “So, if the USDA staff is still on furlough when the design is complete, it will hold the project up waiting for their review,” Denham said.
And that could make the project more expensive, or even impossible to complete this year, he said. “For example, if the project is ready for bid in May instead of March, I would expect the bids to be as much as 20 percent higher,” Denham said.
“The grant funding may not be able to be increased by that much, and therefore we would have to reject all bids that exceed the funding capability and put the project off until next year. Costs go up every year, which will make the project more costly as well next year.”
Another road project will repair deteriorating pavement on Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road from Highway 20 to the north town limits through a $27,592 grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB). The project will apply chip seal to resurface that stretch of the road., with work completed in July.
Economic revitalization
Two projects are planned as part of Twisp’s Economic Revitalization Plan, adopted in 2017. The Glover Street “relight” project will remove all the existing street lights on Glover Street and install 26 decorative solar-powered street lights. The street light replacement is expected to be completed in the spring through a $158,000 state TIB grant.
The town also plans to install two “gateway” sculptures on the south and north borders of Twisp on Highway 20 as part of the economic revitalization initiative. The town has given preliminary approval to large metal sculptures, designed by local artists Perri and Craig Howard, that depict mountains. A public meeting will be held in late winter or early spring to allow the community to see and comment on the design.
The public art project is intended to define the entrances to the town. The project will be completed through a $92,000 grant from a state TIB program called Complete Streets.
An $800,000 project to reconstruct a taxiway at the Twisp Municipal Airport is also planned, if funding is obtained from the aviation division of Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), private partners and the town. WSDOT would fund about 95 percent of the project, which will reconfigure and widen the south taxiway to meet all WSDOT and Federal Aviation Administration standards.
The town is requesting bids for the project, which must be obtained before WSDOT aviation provides funding, Denham said. The application for funding from WSDOT is due this spring and if successful, the project would take place in late summer. “Indications from WSDOT are that this project is a priority to WSDOT and has a good chance of being funded,” he said.
