The Issaquah City Council voted 5-2 at the Aug. 1 meeting to reallocate $400,246 to the completion of Confluence Park Phase II.
The decision authorizes $95,000 from the King County Parks Levy and $305,246 from Park Mitigation Funds to go towards constructing a publicly-chosen timber arch bridge with a parking lot, lighting and benches; a publicly-chosen log-and-rope playground; mitigation plantings and signage. The total cost of Phase II is over $2.3 million.
The city came up short when the three sealed bids opened July 8 proved to be higher than originally anticipated. The lowest bid, which came from WHH Nisqually Federal Services, LLC was $1,654,321; with contingencies this figure becomes $1,737,021. The bids are valid through Aug. 22.
The council, aided by information that Deputy City Administrator Emily Moon and Park Planner Jennifer Fink provided, debated whether to allocate the money and move forward, to change the design of the project and eliminate certain features in order to potentially cut costs, or to simply reject the bid and table the issue altogether until a later date.
Fink said that roughly “$150,000 would be sunk if we were to start with a new bridge design.”
Those in favor of moving forward with the current design referenced the amount of time, effort and money already put into the project, the will of Issaquah residents to have a completed park and the danger of costs going up if the city waits any longer.
“13, 14, 15 years ago we were talking about this park and what we wanted to see envisioned in this park, and that this was going to be the centerpiece and crown jewel of our park system,” Councilmember Eileen Barber said. “The idea of rejecting this bid … is only going to cost us additional dollars, perhaps the idea of we wouldn’t move forward with it. And I can’t see us sitting here any longer and not moving forward on this particular project that has been so part of our community’s desire.”
“The people want this,” Councilmember Bill Ramos said. “It’s something they’re looking forward to.”
Ramos, an avid bicyclist, said there is currently no bridge for just pedestrians and cyclists over the Issaquah Creek.
Other council members were uneasy at moving around such a large sum of money.
“An extra $400,000 at this point and time — I don’t think I can do it,” Councilmember Mary Lou Pauly said.
“I think there is an advantage to be taken by pausing a little bit and rethinking it,” Council President Stacy Goodman said. “In our private lives, we stop and we think about the money we’re going to spend.”
The city received $340,000 in Park Mitigation Funds this year. The $305,000 takes up approximately 13 percent of the $2.3 million Park Mitigation Funds currently available.
Moon said that King County Parks Levy dollars are often used to “fill funding gaps” in situations like these.
“I don’t imagine [the market] cooling down anytime soon and we have sunk costs, so we could get less of something and yet pay the same amount,” Councilmember Paul Winterstein said of the idea of redesigning and rebidding the project.
Council members also mentioned the idea of the “green necklace,” the connection of Issaquah’s parks together forming a chain of green spaces in the midst of an urban setting.
The motion passed 5-2, with Goodman and Pauly voting nay.
Phase II of construction on the downtown park began in 2015, with engineering firm David Evans and Associates designing the structures. The Park Board voted to move forward with the public’s preference of bridge and playground design in January 2016.
