City of Blaine prepares to bid on downtown revitalization construction

Blaine City Council unanimously authorized city staff to put the downtown revitalization project construction out for bid once the design and permitting are finished.

Bellingham-based Cascade Engineering Group is about 90 percent finished with designing the project, which will focus on revamping two blocks of downtown and provide minor improvements outside of that area. The project will focus on necessary upgrades, such as replacing most of the trees downtown with a different species that won’t buckle the sidewalk. It will also focus on sidewalk replacement to help ADA accessibility, and upgrade the Martin Street and Clark Street parklets.

The city plans to advertise the bid for construction in August and then bring a package for council to consider in early fall, city manager Mike Harmon said. The city of Blaine would like to award the project in late fall and wait until after the holiday season to start construction.

The project has been discussed in city council for just over two years. The original project was slimmed down due to budget concerns and now includes minimum improvements.

Construction is estimated to cost $3.6 million. The electrical work of the project, estimated to cost nearly $1.5 million to include replacing street lighting along Peace Portal Drive, could be removed if the project becomes too costly, Harmon said.

When asked by councilmember Richard May whether the city should tighten the downtown revitalization project budget more, Harmon said most of the improvements were basic needs to beautify downtown and drive economic development.

“It’s almost as if we’re trying to bake a cake and say, ‘Let’s take the flour out.’ We don’t really have a cake afterward,” Harmon said of removing more project components.

Construction will start with removing most of the trees downtown. The Washington State Department of Transportation requires the city to replace the trees down to the exact inch, Harmon said.

“We are working to replant other trees to make up, for a lack of a better term, the same amount of tree that we’re taking out,” Harmon said.

The vote was 4-0, with mayor Mary Lou Steward and councilmembers Kerena Higgins and Eric Davidson absent.

For a full list of downtown revitalization project improvements, visit bit.ly/46i3Zif.