Sidewalks being rebuilt after problems

Sidewalk sections on Main Street and Federal Avenue in Grand Coulee are being replaced again after issues came up following the original 2015 installation.

The 2015 project to install new sidewalks and gutters on Federal Avenue and Main Street cost $407,816.53. It was paid for with money from a state Transportation Improvement Board grant. 

Settlement issues causing the concrete to crack were noticed in November of 2016, and a few months later spalling on surfaces was also noted.

Since then, communication has taken place between the city, their lawyer, Gray & Osborne, the city's engineering firm, and Halme Builders, who had installed the sidewalks and initially denied responsibility for the sidewalk issues. 

The city had testing done on the concrete of the sidewalks.

"Concrete should not break down like this did when it is less than a year old," City Clerk Lorna Pearce told The Star. "Through the testing, it was determined that in some areas there was no air entrainment in the concrete. Other areas were not that cut and dried."  

It was determined that sections of the sidewalk needed to be replaced. 

"The city made the decision to agree to pay for the concrete if Halme came in and did the labor," Pearce said, referring to it as a "non-mediated agreement."

Grand Coulee is responsible for paying for the concrete to the tune of $16,000, Pearce explained, while the contractor is paying for the labor. 

They are hoping to be finished by Sept. 24.

The city's cost will most likely come out of their general fund.

Businesses on Main Street were still open during the work on Tuesday.