Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Feds to decide on scaled-back Woodside Boulevard project

City Council scrutinizes engineering cost overruns

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By TONY EVANS
Express Staff Writer

Hailey residents look over plans for the Woodside Boulevard project last winter. Express file photo

The Hailey City Council is hoping the Federal Highways Administration accepts scaled-back plans for the reconstruction of a rapidly deteriorating Woodside Boulevard.

City leaders found recently that they cannot afford the cost of a deluxe version drawn up by engineers in April following extensive public comment.

Hailey leaders hope to use a $3.5 million TIGER II Grant the city qualified for in May to complete the project, but the city will have to meet criteria developed by the federal government to do so.

The plan calls for 2.5 miles of sidewalks an bike paths on both side of Woodside Boulevard, several bus shelters, a roundabout at the intersection of Fox Acres Road and a traffic light on the corner of Woodside Boulevard and state Highway 75.

The overall cost of the project came in on July 27, following construction bids, at nearly $6.8 million, about $2.3 million more than the $4.5 million that the city had expected.

Unless the city gets lower offers, the capital improvement fund would be $1 million short to complete the project, City Administrator Heather Dawson said at a City Council meeting Monday.

"We made a monumental error in estimating the costs on the front end," Council President Fritz Haemmerle said.

Yet scaling back on the project could mean losing the $3.5 million TIGER II Grant, made possible by federal stimulus funding. One of the stipulations imposed by the federal government is that the city build sidewalks on both sides of Woodside Boulevard.

Public Works Director Tom Hellen said Monday that he is in conversation with federal officials to find out if the city can build sidewalks only on the west side of the street, and still receive the grant.

Hellen presented the scaled-back version to the council Monday, including plans to reduce the amount of asphalt used, the number of bus shelters and other amenities that Woodside residents have become excited about in recent months. He said the changes would save $1.6 million.

Dawson outlined options for funding the project in case the federal grant does not materialize or if the city's capital improvement fund is not adequate to cover the costs of the entire project. The options include a general obligation bond, a two-year tax levy override for all city tax-payers or a local improvement district that would only cost residents in the neighborhood affected by the boulevard remodel.

Hellen said simply resurfacing the roadways on Woodside Boulevard would cost about $2 million.

The council will address the issue again on Nov. 14.

About $600,000 in engineering costs have been incurred by the city already in working on designs. The city is also facing cost overruns of about $182,000 invoiced from JUB Engineers, the firm hired to meet a tight federal deadline to get the grant.

JUB estimates that scaling back on the project would cost the city an additional $52,000.

Council members agreed to pay only $117,000 of the JUB overruns Monday. City staff was instructed to analyze the remaining $65,000 in charges.

In other Hailey news:

( Mountain Rides will begin charging 50 cents per rider on the Hailey town bus on Nov. 15 to make up for drops in revenue.

( The council approved an amendment to the city's zoning ordinance, allowing for one accessory dwelling unit to be built per nonresidential unit in the SCI-Industrial subdistrict of Airport West subdivision.

Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com

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