Two interesting developments emerged from the Pacific County Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 13, which included a jam-packed agenda. The top stories were a host contract for Bruceport County Park and a contract for engineering services.

The commission approved a request from Pacific County Department of Public Works Deputy Director Todd Strozyk seeking approval for a contract for service with Chinook Indian Nation to host the Bruceport County Park. The request was submitted on May 7, and the agreement states the duration will run from May 13 and run through the end of the year.

Among the terms, the tribe will keep the park clean, open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., provide janitorial and maintenance services, and collect appropriate fees. The tribe paid $4,000 for the overall contract, which will be broken down into monthly installments of $500. It will also provide a space for a “recreational vehicle for the HOST; the county will provide electrical power, water, sewer, and garbage disposal services to the site.”

The other significant development was the approval of a contract for services with Sargent Engineers Inc. to conduct inspections due by June 2025 of twenty-eight bridges in Pacific County that include Borovec, Cady, Church Br., Clark, Davis Creek, Elk Creek Bridge, Elkhorn Bridge, Firdale, Gammage Bridge, Hebish, Menlo South-Fork, Mill Creek Br. 6, Mill Creek Br. 5, Mill Creek, Moose, Nyberg Bridge, Overmeyer, Pehl, Ralmie Creek, Rue Creek Bridge, Smith Creek, Soule, Stringer Creek Bridge, Walville, Wesley King Br., West Fork Rue Creek Bridge, Rue Creek Culvert, and Williams Cr. Br.

According to the bid submitted by Sargent Engineer Inc. dated April 7, the cost to conduct all the inspections will be $52,567.

“In order to complete the inspections, we expect to utilize chest-waders as necessary on any bridge with a water depth of three feet or less,” Sargent Engineers Inc. Public Engineer Scott Olson said in the proposal. “Any bridge that has a water depth of three feet or greater, we will utilize a boat with a motor to access areas we could not otherwise access. We will utilize climbing access methods and ladders as necessary to reach areas that require closer inspection.”

“We will sound all timber piles and pile caps with a geologist’s hammer to locate any possible decay. We will also sound any timber grinders that show signs of decay. If sounding indicates that decay is present, we will use an IML-RESI PD-Series 400 Digital Wood Inspection Drill to check if decay is present and the (sic) its severity. We will also mark each element with decay with a yellow or red tag as appropriate – to indicate Condition State 3 and Condition State 4 elements,” Scott added.

The proposal also states that the Washington State Department of Transportation has implemented additional updates through the Specifications for National Bridge Inventory manual, which have “resulted in a significant, short-term, increase to the inspection and reporting time.”

The new requirements mean that Sargent’s Engineering Inc. will have to spend additional time coding the inspections to meet the latest coding, which resulted in a $14,826 fee added to the proposal’s total.