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June 11, 2014 • A-9
SEquim Gazette
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From page A-1 and Towing and Cedar Lane Farm Nursery. “Business has been down 70 percent in the show room for the past seven months,” Eric Schwartz, president of Olympic Restaurant Equipment, said. “My biggest issue is being told one thing and then they’re (Washington State Department of Transportation) doing another.” Schwartz has eight employees to think about and has had to adjust some of those employees from their normal responsibilities of staffing the show room to other tasks because of the lack of customers coming in, Schwartz said. Schwartz finds himself seeking alternative and creative online business strategies and other avenues to help combat the impacts the road construction has had on business. For example, while Dryke Road is closed, Schwartz is offering free delivery to Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties, in addition to a storewide sale through the end of next week. “I think we only had one customer in here Monday,” Schwartz said. “I am trying to do everything I can.” Although Schwartz understands the state and
Drivers may have trouble trying to access Olympic Restaurant Equipment and Cedar Lane Farm Nursery via Dryke Road from Solmar Road. Sequim Gazette photo by Alana Linderoth
project contractor, Scarsella Bros. Inc., are working as fast as possible and are managing a lot, he also feels the accessibility to his business is being impacted beyond what Washington State Department of Transportation officials implied. “Placing a sign that says’road closed to thru traffic’ at the beginning of the alternate route is mis-
leading,” Schwartz said. Approaching Olympic Rest aura nt Equipment there are bright orange, eye-catching signs stating Dryke Road is closed and to use an “alternate route,” but no direction or detour signs follow as to where the alternate route is or how to get there. Upon further inspection and inquiry on how to get to
Dryke Road from Sequim, employees at Olympic Restaurant explained one must take Old Olympic Highway to Vautier Road to Pinnell Road to Solmar Road and finally to Dryke Road. “I realize unless you’re a local you’ll probably have a hard time navigating the alternate routes,” Jerry Moore, project engineer for Washington State Depart-
ment of Transportation, said. “Could the situation at Dryke Road be better? Yes. The work at this intersection impacts these businesses the most.” By the time Moore realized the lack of signage to alternative routes, it was really “too late” to get signs placed, Moore said. To access signs or get signs made would take time, not to mention the time it would take to implement signs along roads where there is little shoulder room. Before digging and placing signs, the area must be surveyed for important infrastructure such as phone lines, and by the time all the needed steps were met the construction on Dryke Road would be over, Moore said. “Now all we can do is work as fast as possible,” Moore said. “I realize this is a really bad week for those businesses.” But, Moore pointed out that the good news is the Washington State Department of Transportation hopes to switch traffic over to the newly constructed portion of the highway soon and the public will have direct access into the businesses again. Schwartz is not alone in his frustrations with the ongoing road construction. “We just want it to be
over so we can go back to normal,” Nathan Church, manager of Frankfurth Auto Body and Towing, said. Shawnra Cash has felt an economic impact on her business, Cedar Lane Farm Nursery. Luckily Cash has fairly low overhead because it is just her running the nursery, which is only open on the weekends. “It (road construction) has been a huge problem,” Leslie Carpenter, owner of Christian Carpenter Auto Center, said. “And although we’re all very concerned about it and it has hurt our business at some point it will be over.” Carpenter feels there’s a genuine effort being put forth by the construction workers and tries to be understanding, but agrees with fellow business owners that “they could have had alternative routes much better marked,” Carpenter said. With time not on his side, and the road construction on Dryke Road well under way, Moore has asked Scarsella to hopefully get enough crushed gravel on the road to allow limited access onto Dryke Road by Thursday. If all goes according to schedule the asphalt will be done by Thursday as well. Reach Alana Linderoth at alinderoth@sequimgazette. com.
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Starr said they don’t anticipate any further unexpected costs and that the contingency fund could be used for purchasing art for the center and possibly establishing an emergency operations center. Burkett said the civic center is being built with little tax impact to the citiBurkett zens of Sequim. “The voters approved a 0.1 percent Public Safety Sales Tax that will contribute to the construction of the new police station, but there is no increase in property tax for the project,” he said. The interest rate on the $10.439 million in bonds is 4.53 percent and its annual debt service is $660,000, Burkett said, and that the debt payments will be paid primarily by the increased sales tax. Starr’s financial report is available at www.sequimwa.gov.
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Whether or not a sale goes through on a Spruce Street home planned for demolition to host parking for the future Sequim Civic Center remains in the hands of a bank. City councilors voted unanimously on June 9 to enforce a short sale with eminent domain on the house at 191 W. Spruce St., formerly owned by Steven and Peggy Sutherland of Renton. City Attorney Craig Ritchie said they voted on eminent domain two years after agreeing upon a sale with the Sutherlands for $89,000. However, the city hasn’t received approval from the Sutherland’s lending institution, City Manager Steve Burkett said. “(The bank) loaned them more
underground tanks instead of two and accounting issues from previous years worth about $30,000. Starr, who expressed concern about the project’s budget in May, spoke on behalf of the city’s finance committee about the project which reviewed its proposed costs. She said the committee confirmed the project will be completed within the budget city councilors approved. In her statement, she said the original estimated cost of $14 million was an estimate and not tied down and that the $16 million estimate through 2011 is more comprehensive with costs included that inadvertently were omitted. She said the project is on track and being closely monitored while the city’s consultant Court Olson has negotiated some lower costs. One increase of $25,000 to ground electric wires was found, she said, but it will save the city money over several years.
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Sequim Gazette
tion Monday following concerns from councilor Genaveve Starr. After dating the civic center’s costs back to 2011 at $16,074,200, he’s given an updated cost of $13,810,661 from Jan. 1, 2014, through project’s end in mid-2015. Previously, Burkett said he recognized some costs that were paid for but not included in past estimates and he wanted to include them. Included in the increase from 2011, Burkett said, a re moving a nd improving off ice spaces from the demolished city hall (about $100,000), an increase of $439,000 in sold bonds for the starr site (from $10 million to $10.439 million), additional revenue from the public safety tax and interest income on bond proUpdated civic center cost ceeds (about $275,000 from previBurkett issued an updated bud- ous estimates), about $50,000 in get on the civic center cost projec- unanticipated costs by finding five
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by MATTHEW NASH
than what it’s worth ($140,000) and we’re trying to get them to approve the short sale,” he said. Ritchie said with the eminent domain the bank may either close the deal or go into negotiations. “We’re hoping the financing company signs off,” he said. The city held a ritchie public hearing on the eminent domain on whether or not the site is for public use. No one spoke on it. If the house is not obtained by the end of the year, project manager David Garlington said, it could delay the project. Burkett said bringing back subcontractor Dickson Co. of Tacoma to demolish the house would be an added expense.
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Committee OKs civic center budget
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