EVERETT — The first phase of a challenging earth-moving project at the city’s Riverfront District is complete, but the tab for the city is still growing.
The Everett City Council on Wednesday is being asked to pay an additional $597,300 on top of an existing $9 million contract with KLB Construction of Mukilteo.
A different city contractor underestimated the amount of fill material KLB would need to help compress buried debris, peat and alluvial soil.
“The site had so many dips and doodles and undulations it was hard to get it perfect, as far as how much material was needed,” said Dave Davis, the director of Everett’s engineering services division.
The weight of the dirt is supposed to compress loose landfill debris already buried at the site and limit any future settling. It is just one of the many challenges that come with transforming an old city dump and mill site into an outdoor shopping mall and residential neighborhood.
Part of the problem, Davis noted, was the soil used was wetter and weighed more than the city’s contractor anticipated.
In all, more than 1.1 million tons of “gravel borrow” — a porous and compressible sandy soil — were spread on the site.
This so-called “surcharge” project is part of an effort to prepare a former city dump and mill site for a $500 million mixed-use development.
By 2011, San Diego developer OliverMcMillan envisions opening a shopping, entertainment and residential neighborhood along the Snohomish River. Part of the project rests on the landfill.
With the first phase of earth moving completed, there are two remaining phases. Each will be bid out separately.
Davis said declining fuel prices and increasing competition for government contracting projects will likely mean Everett will be able to get a good deal on the remaining work.
The city will pay for the project mostly from the solid waste fund, a $2.50 tax charged to Everett households every month. The monthly fee is scheduled to increase in January.
The rest of the earth-moving project will be paid from the $8 million the city earned from selling the land to OliverMcMillan earlier this year.
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
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