Foundation hikes cost of fair arena

Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed building projects at their meeting Tuesday, including approving change orders totalling $151,428 for the new arena at the fairgrounds.

Building and Planning Department Building Inspector Chuck Beyer said the bulk of the cost came from concerns for the foundation and for wind speeds.

Contractor Pacific Tech Construction reported finding soft soil, including buried logs and stumps, in initial excavations. Beyer consulted with project design engineers who revised the foundation plans to include a three-foot deep trench filled with compacted rock. The extra footing change order was estimated at a $89,254 maximum.

The project engineers also recommended strengthening the building to accommodate 115 mile per hour wind speeds. Early designs had targeted an 85 mile per hour wind, but the engineers revised the specifications after learning the Skamokawa area is subject to the stronger winds. The wind load change is estimated at a $64,402 maximum.

The extra work would add construction time to the project, Beyer said, but the contractor has said it will be done in time for the fair.

Commissioners have already approved a $14,00 change order to strengthen the slab, and to add electrical outlets in the west wall and to install inserts for bollards for event fencing.

The county has sufficient disaster relief funds to cover the extra costs, but the latest change orders will leave little for other work such as bleacher seating or fencing for events.

The arena collapsed in last winter's heavy snow, and the county qualified for $567,364 in disaster relief funds. Pacific Tech's initial bid to replace the arena was $366,860, apparently leaving sufficient money for furnishing the building. With all the change orders, only $11,000 is now available, Beyer reported.

Beyer said he would check with the county's insurance carrier to see if more money might be available to help cover the extra costs and leave more for finishing the building. He would also see if proposed fire sprinkler installation is required.

Commissioners Dan Cothren, Blair Brady and Lisa Marsyla discussed the situation with fair board President Bill Coons before approving the change orders.

Marsyla asked Coons if the fair board was agreeable to the updated plans and the possibility that the arena could have no seating.

Coons replied that the news was so recent that it wouldn't have reached the fair board. He added that he thought the structural upgrade for wind strength might be excessive.

"What good is a big building if you can't use it," Marsyla said after noting that the lack of funding could keep the fair and county from outfitting it.

"It's hindsight now; we're pregnant," Coons quipped.

In other county construction news, commissioners approved a bid for replacing a bridge and authorized a call for bids for a new ferry landing on Puget Island.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen recommended the board accept the low bid of Five Rivers Construction, $376,856, to raise and enhance the A.G. Hanson Bridge over the Elochoman River at Beaver Creek Road.

The next lowest bidder was Spring Hill Construction at $498,248. Ringen said he reviewed the bids and said the Five Rivers bid was in order.

"They've constructed two other bridges for us," Ringen said. "They've done the job, and they've done it well."

The board called for bids for replacement of the Puget Island ferry ramp. Bids will be opened August 4.

"I'm excited," Ringen said. "This project has been in the works for a long time."