Leavenworth Road & Construction Information:

Note:  The information provided below was provided to us by Dusty Jones of Hammond Collier Wade Livingston in an effort to provide current/update information regarding the ever changing construction schedules within Leavenworth's City limits.  In my opinion, Pipkin Construction Company has exhibited great initiative, compassion, and understanding in working with local businesses to limit the stress and physical inconvenience to guests; furthermore, the outstanding street design and renovations will provide Leavenworth with a much needed face lift while providing upgrading to a deteriorated infrastructure.  Folks, this is going to be over just in time for major festivals and events.  This will look fantastic, Leavenworth will look fantastic!   This work for our valued guests,  had to be done, had to be done now, and we are lucky to have such an experienced, local company doing the work.  I for one say Thanks Pipkin Co., Thanks Dusty Jones!

A note to our patient and valued guests, I say Leavenworth, Washington, the Bavarian Village will be better than ever!  If you haven't came in a while, come on over and see what all the fuss is about!  Plenty of construction sales (for those hard to find gifts at record prices), famous sausages and Bavarian architecture, and one of our most famous assets are still waiting to meet you,  our great people!  With gas prices the way they are, Leavenworth, Washington is here for you!

Call The Tumwater Inn, Restaurant & Lounge for up-to-the-minute directions and information

 1-509-548-4232

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week 10, May 9, 2008
 

Ahhhh! There is something about a hot black mat of fresh asphalt that
just makes me feel happy. (too bad it is only temporary.)

It seems everyone is in agreement that this has been a very difficult
week!  Our city core was practically bursting with construction activity
and preparations for Maifest.
In addition to the 9th & Commercial Street project there were three
other projects that came to convergence on Wednesday.

1.     Verizon was working on putting a new phone bundle under the
Highway at 9th street.
2.     City crews were patching Front Street.
3.     PUD crews were installing new power lines at 8th & the alley.

Next week will not be as hectic but there will still be plenty
happening.

Monday Pipkin will continue water line and catch basin installation.
Tuesday the water connections at 9th and the alley will be exposed and
the switch from the old system to the new system will take place. (No
service disruption is planned).
Tuesday or Wednesday  the water supply line for the clinic will be
switched to the new system. This will cause a short water service
interruption early in the morning for the Sonnen Haus & the Clinic. The
City will clarify the time with notices.

After late this week and most of next week the project will APPEAR to
be moving in slow motion. As the electrical and irrigation crews proceed
the ground behind them will look exactly like the ground ahead of them.
They generally do not use the large equipment and are working waist deep
in a hole.  Just a warning that this will not be very exciting compared
to the massive excavation we have been seeing.    

The electrical crew will continue east on the north half of Commercial
Street then will travel the south side before moving on to 9th.   The
electrical inspector is only available in our area on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, therefore there will be some shallow trenches that get left
opened overnight. These trenches will be barricaded rather than filled
in order to prevent digging the same hole twice.  Please call me if you
see a trench that is preventing access or creating a safety issue.  

I am not familiar with the schedules for the PUD and Verizon projects
so they have not been included here.  We are concerned with safety
throughout Leavenworth so please feel free to call me even if you
dont think your concerns involve the 9th & Commercial project.

I have received some questions about the 8th street bathroom area.
This area was not originally included in the project, however due to the
following items it was added:
1. The existing storm drains were very deep and had to be raised to tie
into the new system.
2. The concrete drain was becoming a tripping hazard
3. The existing water line had settled and created a sag in the
pavers.
4. A drinking fountain was desired in this location.
Given the amount of work in this area it was fastest and least
expensive to replace rather than repair it.

Thursday I placed some temporary construction signs at the corners of
Front & 9th, Front & 8th, and at each end of the alley.  If people feel
the signs are doing some good I will try to create more permanent signs
and holders.  Thanks to those who let me attach signs on your private
property!

I hope you all have a great Maifest!

week 9, May 8, 2008

Hello Everyone.

Last week Pipkin was able to remove the sidewalks and cut the road to
sub grade.  BRAVO to the excavator operators who were able to slide the
concrete sidewalks out from under the existing facades with very minimal
damage!

Temporary gravel paths have been placed to encourage pedestrian use.
Thanks for your patience as we work to balance gravel import costs
against walk-ability.  Thanks also to those of you who called with
suggestions for improving the temporary ramps.

The City of Leavenworth and the Chamber of Commerce are currently
working on some temporary construction signs to help invite visitors to
the businesses on 8th, 9th & Commercial Streets.

Next week:
Pipkin crew #1 will be installing water line on both 9th and
Commercial Streets.  On Wednesday they will begin to cleanup for Maifest.

Pipkin crew #2 will help with the water line, then midweek they will
install the last two catch basins on 8th & Commercial.

McCandlish Electric will begin placing conduit and Light pole bases.
-Wulf Landscape will be placing irrigation mains and boxes.

Northwest Geodimensional™ surveyors will be staking the locations of
the concrete curbs.

 The City of Leavenworth crews will be preparing damaged areas for
asphalt repair.

Thursday  Mitchell Trucking & Paving will lay down a temporary
asphalt patch on the intersection of Front and 9th and up to the
highway.   This will be a difficult traffic day and more parking than
normal will be closed so parts of Front and Commercial can be repaired
with hot asphalt.  (This would be a great chance to loosen up for the
Bavarian Volkssport Spring Walk by walking to work!)

As you can see it will be a busy week with several types of work
happening at once.  Please call me if you have any questions.

Dusty Jones
Hammond Collier Wade Livingstone
509-664-4822

week 8, April 25,

Hello Everyone “ We have been talking about sidewalk removal for
several weeks and now the time has finally come! On Monday or early
Tuesday Pipkin will begin removing the sidewalks and cutting the roadway
down 15 inches to reach sub-grade.   This activity will keep Crew #1
busy all week starting at 8th & Commercial working East then moving to
the bottom of 9th Street and working North.  The block immediately ahead
of the removal crew will be closed to traffic.

Crew #2 will continue to work on water line service connections.
Monday - lower 8th street will have a water shutoff beginning at 8:00
A.M. (Katzenjammers South incl. Blackbird) Lower 8th street will be
closed both Monday & Tuesday.
Midweek - watch for shutoff notices in the lower 9th street area. This
shutoff will affect the Clinic and the Sonnen Haus. I will update with a
tighter schedule if possible.

Last week Pipkin installed catch basins along 9th street and worked
hard to reconfigure the utilities in the intersection of Front and 9th.

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me with questions and suggestions.
If anyone would prefer to talk in person, I am on the construction site
every Thursday morning and would be pleased to arrange a time and place
to meet with you.

I hope to see you all tonight at Ale Fest.  Have a great week!

week 6, April 10,

Congratulations to us all!  We have survived the first benchmark of
construction!

On Wednesday, Pipkin placed the last of the large diameter pipe.  All
of the remaining underground utility work will be 12� diameter pipe or
less!

Up to this point, the construction has been very linear in nature (i.e.
start at one end of the street and work to the other).  Next week the
work will be more random.  The 2 large crews will break into smaller
groups to install catch basins, water connections, and testing installed
pipes.

Next Monday work will begin by concentrating on catch basins and the
water line on 9th Street near The Mottler Building (Uncle Ulis).  We
thank everyone for their patience on the pedestrian rerouting at 9th &
Front streets; after Monday the crew will move out of that intersection
and pedestrian traffic can get closer to normal.

My best information is that water will be shut off in the alley between
9th and 8th Streets on Monday, April 14, from 8:00 a.m. until noon.  If
this schedule holds true, the city will be posting notices on the
doorways of affected businesses on Friday.

Tuesday and Wednesday are scheduled to have temporary water shut
offs on 8th Street.  This will be the water line that feeds the
area of the public restroom, Katzenjammers, and Blackbird Lodge.  Once
again the city will give better notification of the timing a day prior.

As the underground storm and sewer work is completed, work on the
roadway will begin:

Friday, April 18 - the power poles and street lighting on the block
around the hospital will be removed.

Sunday, April 20 “ please remove any private property from the
sidewalks on 9th Street or on Commercial Street between 8th & 9th
Streets.

Monday, April 21 - The street and concrete sidewalks will be removed on
9th Street from the Highway to Main Street and on Commercial from 8th to
9th Streets.  That is correct; the time has come to remove the entire
street.  For this entire week we will see dump trucks hauling the
existing bad soils away.  The road will be cut down about 15 inches from the
current elevation and will stay this way for several weeks.  During this
time all doorways will be accessible using temporary ramps and/or
stairs. Pedestrian traffic routes will be maintained with traffic cones,
ropes, and fences.  

The City of Leavenworth, Pipkin Construction, and Hammond Collier have
had extensive discussions about trying to keep the sidewalks intact
longer, with the end result being that with the sidewalks removed, many
contractors can be doing several tasks simultaneously.  We are at the
point where delaying the sidewalk removal will delay the completion of
the project.

This will be a dramatic step and I am sure there will be many concerns
for safety and accessibility.  Please call me with any questions or
suggestions.  

With the existing street and sidewalk gone the next phase of shallow
utilities will be accessible.  Please help us to welcome our new
sub-contractors into the job including McCandlish Electric, Eric Wulf
Landscaping and Doug Jones Concrete.  

Thanks to Mark and Nancy at the Chamber of Commerce, they are helping
immensely by keeping communications moving.  I had just a few calls this
week concerning pedestrian routing, dust and parking “ please keep
your input coming.  I discuss these calls with the contractor daily and
we meet weekly to review them and look for better solutions.  Thanks to
those of you who have taken the time to let me know what's on your
mind.

week 5, April 3,

Hello Everyone!

Last week most of the 12 inch Diameter storm drain pipe on Commercial Street
was installed.  Water line in 8th Street between the Alley and
Commercial Street was also installed.  The most visually dramatic work
was the installation of the new sewer line in 9th Street between Front
and the highway.  

This Monday through Wednesday Crew #1 will continue with water line on
8th Street from Commercial to Main and around the back of the Hospital.
Then Wednesday and Thursday they will complete the side connections to
the storm line in Commercial Street.  Traffic on 8th Street will be
limited to a single lane and midweek the hospitals physical therapy
parking will be temporarily reconfigured.

Crew #2 will do the final connections to the deep sewer line on 9th
Street, mostly working near Front Street and at the alley.  Work will
then shift to installing the Storm Drainage in 9th Street from the alley
to the highway.

The traffic revisions and pedestrian routes on Front and 9th Streets
will continue to be the same as last week. Please resist the temptation
to cross below the yellow pedestrian safety barriers.  

Thanks and have a great week.
Dusty Jones

week 4, March 28,

Hello Everyone!

Last week the 24 inch Diameter storm drain pipe on 8th Street was installed
and work on the 12 inch diameter storm drain pipe on Commercial Street
began. The water line pipe and deep sewer pipe in the alley on 9th
Street was installed.

Next week Crew #1 will begin by completing the storm drainage in
Commercial Street then move on to installing water main pipe on 8th
Street from the alley to Main Street.
Crew #2 will install the deep sewer line on 9th Street working from the
alley to the highway.

Dust has been a concern.  The Friday, Saturday and Sunday dust control
watering schedule includes watering twice each day “ once between 8:00
a.m. and 10:00 a.m., then again between 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

As the new water line is connected into the existing system, water
service for some areas of town will be periodically interrupted.  For
the duration of this project, the City staff will tape water shutoff
notifications on the doorways of the affected water users at least one
day prior to the shutoff (more notice will be given whenever possible).
I will also spread the word through e-mail when my schedule allows.

Please keep watching for unsafe situations and notify Pipkin's crew if
any arise.

Thanks and have a great week.
Dusty Jones