Board approves geotech and bridge contract supplements and federal-aid prospectus for Coal Creek Road

The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners approved multiple public-works related contract actions brought by County Engineer Susan (identified in the record as Susan Eugeneus).

Engineer Susan explained the on-call geotechnical contract often responds to emergency slides, provides borings and design recommendations, and that staff proposed extending the contract term to December 2027 while increasing the cap from $300,000 to $600,000 because the county had nearly exhausted the current cap (about $299,175 spent). Commissioners questioned whether the work could be more preventive; staff said the contract is “as-needed” and task orders can be issued for both emergency response and proactive studies of known slide-prone areas.

The board also approved Supplement No. 2 to the engineering agreement with OTEC Incorporated for the Allender Road bridge replacement project, adding $100,000 to provide construction-phase engineering services including submittal review, site inspections and final load-rating once construction is complete.

Separately, the commissioners approved a local agency agreement and federal-aid project prospectus for the Coal Creek Road improvements (milepost ~1.44 to 2.0). Staff estimated total design and construction costs at $3,600,000 and said the board would obligate preliminary engineering and right-of-way phases for just under $500,000 to begin the project. The project would remove substandard curves and add shoulders; staff explained the work will proceed in phases consistent with available funding.

All items were approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.