Construction Update No. 35
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
March 1, 2012
It’s All Over but the Warranty Work
Strider Construction effectively completed their work on Pioneer Way this week, with crew and equipment last seen heading out of town on Tuesday afternoon. While Strider is very close to reaching what is called “physical completion” of the project, they will be back to wrap up several tasks. For instance, that portion of the irrigation system that was installed after completion of the archaeology work cannot be tested until the lines are charged once the threat of freezing has passed. Likewise, Strider will have an ongoing responsibility to deal with warranty items, such as replacing dead plants, ensuring that the street lights work or putting a final scrub on façade cleaning, among many other features. A number of you have commented that we have been lucky to have Strider as our contractor – we agree. We have heard often from Strider’s crew that the respect goes both ways – they loved working on Pioneer Way and took pride in doing stellar work and being good citizens. It is fair to expect that we will be seeing them again in the future – without their safety vests and hard hats!
Don’t forget that the last of the Tuesday morning coffee hours will occur at 9:00 am on March 6, Angelo’s Caffe.
Thank You!
Barring something unforeseen, this will be last time you will hear from the project staff in this format. No doubt this fact will be a relief to many, but we hope that the briefings and alerts (all 70 of them!) have been somewhat useful in keeping you on top of the latest news. If you get a minute, please feel free to drop us a quick note to let us know how we might do things better during future projects.
It would not be right to sign off without delivering a final “thank you!” to all of you who have lived and breathed construction for the past year. There was certainly no shortage of challenging days and we are grateful for your ongoing patience and tolerance. We wish everyone with a stake in Pioneer Way much success for the future. Finally, while we may have been the people you saw most often on the street, the support that we received from everyone associated with the City has been simply phenomenal. We are honored to work with them and for you every day.
All the best and see you on street,
Rhonda, Joe and Larry
PS. Check out this link to a Before and After Photo Album for Pioneer Way. http://www.oakharbor.org/uploads/documents/1368pioneerway_beforeafterphotoalbum.pdf
(big thanks to Angela Braunstein for assembling the album!)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Construction Update No. 34
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 22, 2012
Final Stretch for Pioneer Way
With the wires and poles now a memory, Strider returned today to begin wrapping up the remaining work on Pioneer Way. The list is not long but includes several tasks that could cause some minor traffic delays. In particular, the concrete subcontractor returns tomorrow (Thursday) to patch the holes left following pole removal. Weather permitting, the first concrete truck is scheduled to arrive around 9:00 am and the patching work should be completed in one day. The sawcutter is tentatively scheduled to be here early next week to cut the grid pattern in the newly patched areas. Also tomorrow, the Oak Harbor Garden Club will be planting the new pots that have been placed in the block between Ireland and Ilwaco Streets.
Strider will also be working on punchlist items this week and next, which include replacing three broken windows, a broken tile threshold, a damaged screen door, brick cleaning and general façade scrubbing up and down the street. Please note also that we plan to schedule one final window cleaning service after Strider finishes their work.
Last Tuesday Morning Coffee Set for March 6 at 9:00 am
On March 6, 2012, exactly 365 days since Strider Construction first broke ground on Pioneer Way, project staff, interested merchants and others will gather one last time at Angelo’s Caffe. We are grateful for our “regulars,” our “occasionals” and our “one-timers” and the conversations that have helped shape this project. It is not an overstatement to say that your willingness to express concerns and questions led to several significant design changes, more effective public information and quicker responses to safety issues. While this may be the last regular Tuesday morning coffee, we can safely say that none of us will be strangers to Pioneer Way even after that last Strider truck rolls out of town. Hope to see you there!
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 22, 2012
Final Stretch for Pioneer Way
With the wires and poles now a memory, Strider returned today to begin wrapping up the remaining work on Pioneer Way. The list is not long but includes several tasks that could cause some minor traffic delays. In particular, the concrete subcontractor returns tomorrow (Thursday) to patch the holes left following pole removal. Weather permitting, the first concrete truck is scheduled to arrive around 9:00 am and the patching work should be completed in one day. The sawcutter is tentatively scheduled to be here early next week to cut the grid pattern in the newly patched areas. Also tomorrow, the Oak Harbor Garden Club will be planting the new pots that have been placed in the block between Ireland and Ilwaco Streets.
Strider will also be working on punchlist items this week and next, which include replacing three broken windows, a broken tile threshold, a damaged screen door, brick cleaning and general façade scrubbing up and down the street. Please note also that we plan to schedule one final window cleaning service after Strider finishes their work.
Last Tuesday Morning Coffee Set for March 6 at 9:00 am
On March 6, 2012, exactly 365 days since Strider Construction first broke ground on Pioneer Way, project staff, interested merchants and others will gather one last time at Angelo’s Caffe. We are grateful for our “regulars,” our “occasionals” and our “one-timers” and the conversations that have helped shape this project. It is not an overstatement to say that your willingness to express concerns and questions led to several significant design changes, more effective public information and quicker responses to safety issues. While this may be the last regular Tuesday morning coffee, we can safely say that none of us will be strangers to Pioneer Way even after that last Strider truck rolls out of town. Hope to see you there!
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Pole Removal Daily Update No. 4 (and last!)
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 16, 2012
Final Pole Removed at 12:45 pm Today
As we had hoped, everything came together last night and today to allow PSE/Potelco to haul away the last of the utility poles from the Pioneer Way project area. Removal of the final pole can be seen in the photograph below, as can the new streetscape of Pioneer Way to west with no wires or poles on the horizon. Thanks are due to Comcast, Frontier and PSE for making this happen much more quickly than was anticipated. In an impressive display of early morning choreography, Frontier’s trucks left town this morning around 7:45 am (after having dropped their wire and pulled three poles last night) and by 8:00 am PSE/Potelco was in place to remove the first of its remaining poles. Strider Construction will return to the street next week to patch holes and complete the now relatively short list of remaining tasks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 16, 2012
Final Pole Removed at 12:45 pm Today
As we had hoped, everything came together last night and today to allow PSE/Potelco to haul away the last of the utility poles from the Pioneer Way project area. Removal of the final pole can be seen in the photograph below, as can the new streetscape of Pioneer Way to west with no wires or poles on the horizon. Thanks are due to Comcast, Frontier and PSE for making this happen much more quickly than was anticipated. In an impressive display of early morning choreography, Frontier’s trucks left town this morning around 7:45 am (after having dropped their wire and pulled three poles last night) and by 8:00 am PSE/Potelco was in place to remove the first of its remaining poles. Strider Construction will return to the street next week to patch holes and complete the now relatively short list of remaining tasks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Pole Removal Daily Update No. 3
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 15, 2012
What Happened Today?
Another very productive day on Pioneer Way. Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) returned this morning to complete the process of removing overhead wires and stripping power poles east of Ireland Street. Once the last wire was removed, Potelco re-mobilized to the City Beach Street end of the project and began pulling power poles (see photo below), progressing as far as Ely Street before being called away for another commitment. Meanwhile, Frontier Communications continued the conversion of their overhead network and the company expects to complete that work by the end of today. Tentatively, a Frontier crew will roll into town at 3:00 am tomorrow morning to lower the last of the overhead wires. Finally, Service Electric, the electrical subcontractor to Strider Construction, installed the final two streetlights.
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Assuming Frontier is successful in their overnight effort to remove the phone lines from PSE’s poles, Potelco will return tomorrow to continue pulling poles within the project area. We learned from their work today that pulling poles takes a lot of room (again, see photo). As a consequence, detours will be in place block by block as this work is occurring. The good news is that Potelco is able to work fairly swiftly so a good proportion of the work should be complete by noon. Based on conversations with Potelco earlier today, they have every expectation of being able to complete their work tomorrow assuming Frontier’s wires are gone.
And Beyond?
We are cautiously optimistic that tomorrow’s daily report will be the last report and very brief – wire and pole removal complete! If that happens, the only remaining work will be to patch the sidewalks and Strider is attempting to schedule its concrete subcontractor for next Tuesday, February 21, weather permitting. In the meantime, Strider will continue to address final work and punchlist items through the end of next week.
Key City Contact People
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 15, 2012
What Happened Today?
Another very productive day on Pioneer Way. Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) returned this morning to complete the process of removing overhead wires and stripping power poles east of Ireland Street. Once the last wire was removed, Potelco re-mobilized to the City Beach Street end of the project and began pulling power poles (see photo below), progressing as far as Ely Street before being called away for another commitment. Meanwhile, Frontier Communications continued the conversion of their overhead network and the company expects to complete that work by the end of today. Tentatively, a Frontier crew will roll into town at 3:00 am tomorrow morning to lower the last of the overhead wires. Finally, Service Electric, the electrical subcontractor to Strider Construction, installed the final two streetlights.
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Assuming Frontier is successful in their overnight effort to remove the phone lines from PSE’s poles, Potelco will return tomorrow to continue pulling poles within the project area. We learned from their work today that pulling poles takes a lot of room (again, see photo). As a consequence, detours will be in place block by block as this work is occurring. The good news is that Potelco is able to work fairly swiftly so a good proportion of the work should be complete by noon. Based on conversations with Potelco earlier today, they have every expectation of being able to complete their work tomorrow assuming Frontier’s wires are gone.
And Beyond?
We are cautiously optimistic that tomorrow’s daily report will be the last report and very brief – wire and pole removal complete! If that happens, the only remaining work will be to patch the sidewalks and Strider is attempting to schedule its concrete subcontractor for next Tuesday, February 21, weather permitting. In the meantime, Strider will continue to address final work and punchlist items through the end of next week.
Key City Contact People
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Pole Removal Daily Update No. 2
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 14, 2012
What Happened Today?
Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) returned this morning to continue taking down overhead wires and stripping power poles west of Dock Street (see photo below). By 11:45, they had completed work as far as the pole across the street from Mike’s Mini Mart, at which time the crew was called away to deal with an emergency power outage elsewhere in their system. With PSE’s lines mostly off the poles, it is now obvious to see that Frontier’s communication lines are still in place east of Dock. Our latest information from Frontier is that they expect to remove the last of their overhead system by Thursday of this week. Finally, Service Electric, the electrical subcontractor to Strider Construction, installed all but the final two remaining streetlights.
End of Day 2 – Power lines removed east of Dock (remaining line belongs to Frontier)
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Assuming Potelco returns tomorrow as scheduled, the crews will remove wire and strip poles from the last three pole-to-pole sections between Mike’s Mini Mart and Midway Boulevard. Given the two pole locations between Ireland and Ilwaco Streets, it is likely that motorists will experience brief detours starting around 8:00 am tomorrow morning and lasting about 30-60 minutes each. Once past Ilwaco, the final two pole locations should be accessible without causing any traffic delays. Based on conversations with Potelco before they were called away today, the crews should begin pulling poles sometime tomorrow beginning at the City Beach Street end of the project.
And Beyond?
Depending largely on Frontier’s success in removing their wires between Dock and Midway by Thursday of this week, it is possible that Potelco can complete pole removal by the end of this week. Please note, however, that the poles on the north side of Pioneer between City Beach and Ely Streets actually belong to Frontier and we have not been advised as to when these poles will be removed. As noted yesterday, Strider’s concrete subcontractor will be here next week weather permitting to patch the sidewalks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 14, 2012
What Happened Today?
Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) returned this morning to continue taking down overhead wires and stripping power poles west of Dock Street (see photo below). By 11:45, they had completed work as far as the pole across the street from Mike’s Mini Mart, at which time the crew was called away to deal with an emergency power outage elsewhere in their system. With PSE’s lines mostly off the poles, it is now obvious to see that Frontier’s communication lines are still in place east of Dock. Our latest information from Frontier is that they expect to remove the last of their overhead system by Thursday of this week. Finally, Service Electric, the electrical subcontractor to Strider Construction, installed all but the final two remaining streetlights.
End of Day 2 – Power lines removed east of Dock (remaining line belongs to Frontier)
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Assuming Potelco returns tomorrow as scheduled, the crews will remove wire and strip poles from the last three pole-to-pole sections between Mike’s Mini Mart and Midway Boulevard. Given the two pole locations between Ireland and Ilwaco Streets, it is likely that motorists will experience brief detours starting around 8:00 am tomorrow morning and lasting about 30-60 minutes each. Once past Ilwaco, the final two pole locations should be accessible without causing any traffic delays. Based on conversations with Potelco before they were called away today, the crews should begin pulling poles sometime tomorrow beginning at the City Beach Street end of the project.
And Beyond?
Depending largely on Frontier’s success in removing their wires between Dock and Midway by Thursday of this week, it is possible that Potelco can complete pole removal by the end of this week. Please note, however, that the poles on the north side of Pioneer between City Beach and Ely Streets actually belong to Frontier and we have not been advised as to when these poles will be removed. As noted yesterday, Strider’s concrete subcontractor will be here next week weather permitting to patch the sidewalks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Pole Removal Daily Update No. 1
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 13, 2012
What Happened Today?
Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) arrived on Pioneer Way this morning as scheduled. The crew spent the first two plus hours isolating the Pioneer Way power lines from the balance of the power grid. Once the overhead lines were no longer active, Potelco began lowering wires starting at City Beach Street and stripping poles of cross pieces, transformers, street lights and other hardware attached to each pole. By the end of their work day, the crews had completed wire removal to within one pole of Dock Street (see photo below). Potelco was able to work within the parking areas for this stretch of Pioneer Way, so, apart from very brief closures, the street remained open for traffic all day.
End of Day 1 – Wires removed and poles stripped from City Beach Street to Maurice’s
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Picking up where they left off today, Potelco will start removing wires around 8:00 am at Dock Street and then move eastward on Pioneer Way toward Midway Boulevard. Because the parking spaces are on the north side of the street between Dock and Midway, Potelco will have to work within the driving lane in order to remove the wires. Traffic controls will be in place to route vehicles around Potelco’s trucks using the parking areas. The field supervisor indicates that he expects his crew to be able to wrap up work between Dock and Ireland Streets by around 11:00 am which means that this very busy two-block stretch can be re-opened for parking by late morning.
And Beyond?
Depending on tomorrow’s progress, Potelco may be ready to begin removing poles between City Beach and Dock Streets as early as Wednesday. As of today, Frontier Communication’s wires are still on the poles between Dock Street and Midway Boulevard although they expect to complete their work later this week. Assuming Frontier is successful in stripping the poles of their wires, Potelco can then begin removing poles east of Dock later this week. Our latest information indicates that Strider’s concrete subcontractor will be here early next week to patch the sidewalks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 13, 2012
What Happened Today?
Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) arrived on Pioneer Way this morning as scheduled. The crew spent the first two plus hours isolating the Pioneer Way power lines from the balance of the power grid. Once the overhead lines were no longer active, Potelco began lowering wires starting at City Beach Street and stripping poles of cross pieces, transformers, street lights and other hardware attached to each pole. By the end of their work day, the crews had completed wire removal to within one pole of Dock Street (see photo below). Potelco was able to work within the parking areas for this stretch of Pioneer Way, so, apart from very brief closures, the street remained open for traffic all day.
End of Day 1 – Wires removed and poles stripped from City Beach Street to Maurice’s
What Should Happen Tomorrow?
Picking up where they left off today, Potelco will start removing wires around 8:00 am at Dock Street and then move eastward on Pioneer Way toward Midway Boulevard. Because the parking spaces are on the north side of the street between Dock and Midway, Potelco will have to work within the driving lane in order to remove the wires. Traffic controls will be in place to route vehicles around Potelco’s trucks using the parking areas. The field supervisor indicates that he expects his crew to be able to wrap up work between Dock and Ireland Streets by around 11:00 am which means that this very busy two-block stretch can be re-opened for parking by late morning.
And Beyond?
Depending on tomorrow’s progress, Potelco may be ready to begin removing poles between City Beach and Dock Streets as early as Wednesday. As of today, Frontier Communication’s wires are still on the poles between Dock Street and Midway Boulevard although they expect to complete their work later this week. Assuming Frontier is successful in stripping the poles of their wires, Potelco can then begin removing poles east of Dock later this week. Our latest information indicates that Strider’s concrete subcontractor will be here early next week to patch the sidewalks.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Construction Update No. 33
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 9, 2012
Busy Two Weeks Ahead Starting Next Week – Parking, Access to be Affected
Anyone observing activities on Pioneer Way this past two weeks could hardly have failed to notice large numbers of Frontier Communication and Comcast (SEFNCO) trucks and vans up and down the street. As noted in the last Construction Update, the City asked both companies to do everything they could to remove all their overhead wires by next Monday, February 13, 2012 when Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) crews will arrive in town to begin removing the overhead power lines. While we are not certain as of today that Frontier and Comcast will be able to complete their work by Monday, they should at least be very close. PSE’s efforts should take approximately two weeks to complete and Strider and their concrete subcontractor will be here to repair the sidewalks once the poles have been removed.
**PLEASE NOTE: In the event that either Frontier or Comcast wires are still on PSE’s poles when they are ready to be pulled, PSE is prepared to cut the top off of each pole and then return to remove them once Frontier and/or Comcast have taken down their wires. This is a worst-case scenario which we will be doing everything we can to avoid.**
All in all, it promises to be a very active next two weeks on Pioneer. Unfortunately, we are certain that PSE’s work to remove the wires and poles will cause some parking disruption and traffic delays on Pioneer Way. While the pole removal work concentrates on one pole at a time with traffic controls in place, bringing down the wires is more problematic. We have been told that Potelco typically uses three trucks when removing each pole-to-pole section of wire – one on each end to cut the wires and one in the middle to gather up the wire as it comes down – which means that parking and/or access will be restricted during this process.
The first “No Parking” restriction will be signposted tomorrow for Monday, February 13 between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm between City Beach and Dock Streets. We have asked PSE to minimize disruption as much as possible by removing travel and parking restrictions as soon as they complete each pole-to-pole section. Potelco reports that the wire removal portion of the project should be complete in about two to three days.
In addition to the work bringing down the wires and poles, Strider Construction will also be very active completing the final pieces of the project. Their work will include final landscaping and irrigation, erecting the remaining streetlights, grouting manholes, concrete patching where poles were removed and general clean-up and punchlist items throughout the site. Some of these activities will result in short-term detours.
As you probably have gathered by now, the next two to three weeks amount to a final push to complete the Pioneer Way project and we offer our sincere regrets for any and all inconvenience to business owners, customers and other users of the street. We will issue daily updates starting Monday with information on how parking and access will be affected the following day. As always, City project staff are at your disposal at the numbers listed below if you have questions or need assistance.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project
February 9, 2012
Busy Two Weeks Ahead Starting Next Week – Parking, Access to be Affected
Anyone observing activities on Pioneer Way this past two weeks could hardly have failed to notice large numbers of Frontier Communication and Comcast (SEFNCO) trucks and vans up and down the street. As noted in the last Construction Update, the City asked both companies to do everything they could to remove all their overhead wires by next Monday, February 13, 2012 when Puget Sound Energy (Potelco) crews will arrive in town to begin removing the overhead power lines. While we are not certain as of today that Frontier and Comcast will be able to complete their work by Monday, they should at least be very close. PSE’s efforts should take approximately two weeks to complete and Strider and their concrete subcontractor will be here to repair the sidewalks once the poles have been removed.
**PLEASE NOTE: In the event that either Frontier or Comcast wires are still on PSE’s poles when they are ready to be pulled, PSE is prepared to cut the top off of each pole and then return to remove them once Frontier and/or Comcast have taken down their wires. This is a worst-case scenario which we will be doing everything we can to avoid.**
All in all, it promises to be a very active next two weeks on Pioneer. Unfortunately, we are certain that PSE’s work to remove the wires and poles will cause some parking disruption and traffic delays on Pioneer Way. While the pole removal work concentrates on one pole at a time with traffic controls in place, bringing down the wires is more problematic. We have been told that Potelco typically uses three trucks when removing each pole-to-pole section of wire – one on each end to cut the wires and one in the middle to gather up the wire as it comes down – which means that parking and/or access will be restricted during this process.
The first “No Parking” restriction will be signposted tomorrow for Monday, February 13 between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm between City Beach and Dock Streets. We have asked PSE to minimize disruption as much as possible by removing travel and parking restrictions as soon as they complete each pole-to-pole section. Potelco reports that the wire removal portion of the project should be complete in about two to three days.
In addition to the work bringing down the wires and poles, Strider Construction will also be very active completing the final pieces of the project. Their work will include final landscaping and irrigation, erecting the remaining streetlights, grouting manholes, concrete patching where poles were removed and general clean-up and punchlist items throughout the site. Some of these activities will result in short-term detours.
As you probably have gathered by now, the next two to three weeks amount to a final push to complete the Pioneer Way project and we offer our sincere regrets for any and all inconvenience to business owners, customers and other users of the street. We will issue daily updates starting Monday with information on how parking and access will be affected the following day. As always, City project staff are at your disposal at the numbers listed below if you have questions or need assistance.
Key City Contact People
Larry Cort
Project Manager
360-914-7107
lcort@oakharbor.org
Joe Stowell
Project Engineer
360-279-4520
jstowell@oakharbor.org
Rhonda Severns
City Utilities
360-914-7256
rhseverns@oakharbor.org
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