Council to vote to start over on Heritage Square

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council meets tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. and will consider separate resolutions to reject all bids for the Heritage Square project.

The two bids received for the Heritage Square project came in nearly $700,000 over the allocated construction budget of $2,675,000. In discussions with both bidders, Booth & Sons Construction and Nelson Construction, city staff said they both have indicated there are multiple opportunities to reduce costs for the project and bring bids within the allocated budget. City staff requests that the city council reject the bids and that staff work with the design team and contractors to find cost savings within the project scope and rebid the project.

The Heritage Square project will turn the park at 116 E. Main St. into a centerpiece for downtown. A place for public events and performances will be created. It will include a water feature for youth to enjoy during the summer months. The project is also expected to increase economic development in the downtown area.

Also on the agenda, the council will consider a resolution to apply for an Environmental Protection Agency recycling education, outreach and enforcement grant. The minimum award is $250,000 with no match required. The grant provides funding for 3-years and is due Feb. 15, 2023, with the award anticipated in April 2023. City staff recommends that any education or enforcement efforts going forward should be directed at recycling appropriate plastics. If successful, this new grant funding would offset the costs for potential reintroduction of plastics into the recycling mix.