The first slab of concrete is down for the City of Sequim’s Civic Center.
Crews with Lydig Construction began pouring the first floor foundation on July 30 for the east side of the building.
Court Olson, project manager for the city, told Sequim City councilors July 28 that everything is on time and budget so far for the joint city hall and police station.
“We’ve passed the most at risk portion of the project (to use contingency funds),” he said.
“It’ll be highly unusual for us not to finish on budget.”
City Manager Steve Burkett said the city has budgeted $12.1 million this year for the project and has spent $2,339,000 so far. Burkett’s total project budget from Jan. 1, 2014, through the end of the project in mid-2015 is $13,810,661.
Olson said the first floor should be in place by the end of August and residents should see a steel structure going up soon thereafter with a roof on hopefully before the rainy season.
Last week, Lydig’s crews installed irrigation sleeving and underground infrastructure while the Clallam PUD worked to relocate power poles.
This week both crews will continue their work and prepare the west side of the building for the remainder of the concrete slab.
Eminent domain update
Burkett told city councilors at the July 28 meeting that city staffers remain “somewhat optimistic” that the bank will allow the sale to go through on an adjacent property at 191 W. Spruce St. to the new civic center for parking.
On July 14, City Attorney Craig Ritchie reported the bank of homeowners Steven and Peggy Sutherland of Renton requested a settlement.
Burkett told the Gazette last week that the city has “received the appraisal on that house and it came in at $92,000 so we are hopeful that we can settle with the bank somewhere between $90,000 and $92,000.”
City councilors voted unanimously on June 9 to enforce a short sale on the property, which Ritchie said came two years after the sale was agreed upon.
He added that the bank loaned the Sutherlands more ($140,000) than what the city is buying it for now, which likely was holding up the sale.
City staff indicated that if the house is not obtained by the end of the year it could delay the civic center project and cost more than anticipated to bring back the subcontractors for demolition and construction.
If the sale goes through, the city requests “immediate use and possession” of the property.
For more updates on the civic center project, visit www.sequimwa.gov.
