Construction could start early as mid July on a key part of the Auburn Environmental Park between West Main Street and 15th Street Northwest — an 1,100 foot long elevated wooden boardwalk.
City Council members are expected to approve Tuesday, July 5 an agreement between the City and the proposed builder, the Washington State Department of Ecology Washington Conservation Corps.
The cost of construction is not to top $45,000.
City officials have determined that the project creates a special market condition that justifies awarding the contract outside of a competitive bidding process.
Plans show the boardwalk running along most of the 1,200-foot-long pedestrian trail, which connects West Main Street with the bird and wildlife viewing tower on Western Avenue. By elevating the boardwalk, City planners expect to minimize impacts to the wetlands and allow for year-round use of the trail, including the seasonal periods when water levels in the park are higher than usual.
Plans show the boardwalk as a six-foot wide, wooden structure atop pin pile foundations, with curbing on both sides and guard rails in places where it rises more than 30 inches above the ground, or where there are areas of seasonal standing water.
Plans also call for the planting of about 2,500 native trees and shrubs in seven planting zones covering 93,000 square feet along parts of the park bordering the east side of State Route 167 and the north side of West Main Street.
Project funding comes in part from a Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program Urban Wildlife grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.
The AEP’s purpose is to create a regionally significant open space in an urban area, offering opportunities for wetland ecosystem restoration, fish and wildlife enhancement, water quality improvement, economic development, storm water detention and flood control, public education and recreation.
The state legislature set up the Washington Conservation Corps in 1983 to conserve, rehabilitate and enhance the state’s natural and environmental resources, while providing educational opportunities and meaningful work experiences for young adults between 18 and 25 years of age. It has worked with local , state and federal agencies to finish numerous restoration, recreation, and stewardship projects across the state, among them elevated wooden bridges and boardwalks. The WCC, which has 180 members working throughout the state all year, is funded by sponsor organizations, state money and an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service.
