City officials might have to go there to finish project

Receiving no response from the contractor that built their wastewater treatment plant, nearly to completion, has led Coulee Dam representatives to consider taking a trip to the contractor’s office across the state so the city can close the books on the cost of the plant and tell Elmer City what its share will cost. 

The wastewater treatment plant being built by McClure & Sons, based out of Mill Creek, Washington, is almost entirely complete, and is functioning, but some details are not finished, including installation of a handrail and some painting.

The topic was discussed at Coulee Dam’s April 14 council meeting. 

“They don’t respond to phone calls, emails, letters. They just continue to show up, do a little work and leave,” remarked Kurt Holland, principal engineer with Varela Engineering & Management, the city’s engineering firm on the project. Holland estimated the plant to be 95% complete. “They are substantially complete, but they won’t sign a certificate of substantial completion; it took six months to sign their last pay estimate.”

Holland said he hasn’t seen this type of situation before. 

The city accepted McClure & Sons’ approximately $5.6 million bid back in 2017 for the project. 

The city would like to simply speak with the contractors and get them to finish the project before taking any other options, such filing a claim against the bond, which City Attorney Mick Howe explained would be a lengthy process.

“There are all sorts of options for us, but we need to figure out where they are,” Howe said.

The wastewater treatment plant also processes waste from Elmer City under a contract that apportions upgrade costs between the two municipalities.

Coulee Dam is unable to bill Elmer City for their share of the new plant until the project is complete, which is another motivating factor in the city wanting to talk to McClure & Sons. 

At the end of the discussion, the group discussed scheduling a day for Mayor Bob Poch, Holland, Howe, and Councilmembers Keith St. Jeor and Merv Schmidt, on a public works committee, to go to Mill Creek to talk to the contractors.

McClure & Sons had not responded to The Star’s request for comment as of deadline.