$6.3 Million Improvement Project Awarded In East Wenatchee

East Wenatchee is moving forward with a $6.3 million project to rebuild the roadway, construct sidewalks and make major stormwater upgrades on 19th Street NW & NW Cascade Avenue. 

Part of the project will build infrastructure to eliminate flooding and erosion when rainfall brings a buildup of stormwater.  

Water coming down slope from as far away as Eastmont Avenue will flow into the stormwater facility at 19th and Cascade, be treated, and then either be infiltrated into the ground or discharged into the river. 

East Wenatchee Public Works Manager Garren Melton says the project has been in the works for a number of years. 

"The city owns the property at 19th and Cascade right by the Loop Trail entrance at 19th Street," said Melton. "And the vision for that parcel is it was going to be a regional treatment facility for stormwater. 

The Washington State Department of Ecology funded the design of the stormwater portion of the project with a $250,000 grant in 2016. The agency then awarded the city $2.2 million to complete the design and construct the project. More recently, the city accessed an additional $2 million grant from the Transportation Improvement Board for the roadway repaving and sidewalk upgrades. 

The East Wenatchee City Council approved a bid from a contractor to complete the project Tuesday.  The contract was awarded to Selland Construction, which submitted the lowest of four bids at $6.29 million, approximately 7% below the engineers estimate.   

Melton says local funding for the project will be kept to a minimum.  

"It's a joint project between the city and county," Melton said. "The total match that the city and county are going to pay is likely going to be less than 10 percent total, which is very, very good for a capital project like this." 

The city's share of the project is $2.46 million, meaning the city will have a maximum payment of about $246,000. Douglas County's share is $1.6 million. The East Wenatchee Water District has a share in the project of $1.53 million. Various other agencies have the rest, $695,697, including Douglas PUD which is burying power lines in the area.