What appeared a routine matter for the Sammamish City Council became an issue of some discussion on Tuesday night – the contract to pay for construction management services as part of the East Lake Sammamish Parkway (ELSP) project.

The contract to pay a consultant $446,000 to oversee the construction of Phase 1B of the project, stretching from NE 18th Pl to the 2200 block of the parkway, was initially included in the consent agenda for the meeting.

But following a number of appeals from members of the public that the council postpone approving further expenditure on the project, Councilmember Tom Odell moved a motion that the item be moved from the consent agenda to allow discussion.

City Manager Ben Yazici urged the council to place the item after the executive session scheduled later in the meeting, to allow for a private discussion of the matter.

When the councilors emerged from the executive session, they voted 6 – 1 to proceed with the contract. Tom Odell was the dissenting vote.

Odell told The Reporter Wednesday that his vote was “basically a protest vote against Phase 1 of the parkway.”

“Frankly I think the whole thing is a waste money, regardless of whether it is city money or federal stimulus money,” he said.

Odell added it was his belief that if Tuesday night’s vote had of been to “decide on Phase 1B as go or no go, prior to the contracts going out, there would have been a chance it would have been voted down.” He said there were at least two other councilors who shared some of his reservations, “but they weren’t in the mood for a protest vote.”

The total cost of Phase 1B is $3.5 million, which is completely paid for by a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding. The funds have already been included in the city’s budget, and due to the terms of the stimulus package grant cannot be used for another project.

Residents Harry Shedd, Charles Goodrich and Ramiro Valderrama used the public comment period to urge the council to reconsider the project, or at least postpone any decisions until the new councilors had time to get up to speed with the issues.

“I never felt it was a good use of federal stimulus funds in the first place,” Goodrich said.

Since its conception, the ELSP project has raised the ire of many residents who feel it would not increase capacity on the parkway or provide for safer travel. In 2006, the East Lake Sammamish Coalition of Citizens was formed to present the city with alternatives, and since then the council has been heavily criticized for spending money on the project.

On Tuesday night, City Manager Ben Yazici assured the speakers that no city funds had been spent on Phase 1B.

“I know that it isn’t city money, but it is still taxpayer money,” Goodrich said.

Valderrama, representing Citizens for Sammamish and the East Lake Sammamish Coalition of Citizens, said the council needed to reinvestigate the core premises of the project.

“Given that 90 days ago the council said they would be reconsidering the project, and given the outpouring of concern in the local press… I feel it behooves further discussion.”

Phase 1B improvements, which include a bridge retrofit and widening the existing roadway, is scheduled to begin in spring of this year.