PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Board of Commissioners received updates on a several road projects in the works and others coming up during its work session on Monday.
The Elwha River bridge will be demolished in the July/August timeframe designated for in-water work, Steve Roark, Olympic Region Administrator with the state Department of Transportation, told commissioners.
Meanwhile, work on Tumwater Creek should wrap up later this year.
WSDOT is set to open bids on the $9.7 million state Highway 112 preservation and maintenance project.
The board also discussed how legislative spending is affecting projects in the county.
“I would have liked to see more funding for preservation,” Roark said. “Clallam County took a bit of a hit.”
Another concern for the board was the state of state Highway 110. The board had a joint meeting with the Quileute Tribe and traveled out that way to discover Highway 110 is peeling and the chip seal project is less than a year old, county Administrator Todd Mielke said.
The tribe asked commissioners to draft a letter to WSDOT to address their concerns about the road.
“It’s supposed to be a road renovation, and it’s peeling and less than a year old,” Mielke said.
In other news, the board heard an update on the Teamsters contract, which affects 230 employees. The contract has been successfully negotiated and will go into effect July 1.
No budget changes are expected as a result of the contract, which is an increase for pretty much all the members across the board, the commissioners were told.
“I did think it was an important part of building a relationship with the board that, if promises were made in the past, we needed to fulfill them,” Mielke said.
The contract amounts to a 6 percent increase in pay — 3 percent for 2024 and another 3 percent for 2025 — although some groups will receive more due to market adjustments.
“Is it fair to both sides? It looks like it is,” Commissioner Randy Johnson said.
“I’m happy with where we’ve landed and I feel this is a fair contract for all,” Commissioner Mark Ozias said.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
