PORT TOWNSEND — A $30,000 project to bury utility cables on a single downtown block is nearly complete and soon should no longer cause inconvenience for pedestrians, according to the city engineer.
David Peterson said Tuesday that the underground power conduits are in place, and although some small sidewalk areas are not finished, the pedestrian path is now clear in the block containing the Lewis Building at 628-630 Water St.
Peterson expects the sidewalks to be completed this week.
The relocation of electrical lines from poles to underground — which is expected to be less intrusive — will be done in about a month to give the city a chance to clean up, said Jim Parker, Jefferson County Public Utility District manager.
“There is no reason for us to be there at the same time,” he said.
The electrical lines are being buried to allow structural repairs ordered by the city on the masonry along the roof line of the Lewis Building.
The repairs cannot be done safely now because the power lines are near the roof, Peterson said.
The city is paying for the sidewalk work, a $10,000 project.
The electrical work will cost $20,000, with the PUD paying $15,000 of that.
The utility district is assessing building owner Karen White $5,000 as her share, which White feels is unfair.
“I don’t know of any other businesses that are forced to pay for this kind of thing,” she said Tuesday.
Since White was responsible for the repairs, she became liable for a portion of the relocation costs, Peterson said.
Both the city and the PUD decided that it would be less expensive to take down the existing lines and put them underground permanently than to temporarily reroute them for the repair and then return them to their original configuration.
The city issued a repair order for the masonry in March.
White filed an appeal, but she and city officials came to an agreement before it was heard, and she provided a renovation plan Oct. 17.
The original plan was to complete the repairs by Jan. 1, but work was postponed to avoid disruption during the holiday season, Peterson said. Work began Jan. 20.
Two utility poles are on the block and will stay in place for the time being, although the transformers and electrical wires will be removed, Peterson said.
White will begin the mandated repairs once the power is rerouted.
She said Tuesday she does not yet have an estimate of the cost.
Placing the utilities underground necessitated the removal of seven 35-foot-tall maple trees between the street and the sidewalk.
White objected to the removal of the trees, which were planted by her father in the 1960s.
“I think that we owe it to the community and Mother Nature to preserve some of the old trees that are part of Port Townsend’s history,” White said.
“I tried and I tried and I tried to save the trees, but they wouldn’t listen.”
White said that if the lines were buried in the middle of the sidewalk, the trees would not require removal.
Two nearby restaurant owners were glad to see the trees go.
Chris Harris of Addie Mae’s Southern Kitchen at 634 Water St. and Pippa Mills of Pippa’s Real Tea at 636 Water St. said the removals created a clearer line of sight and rid the area of a bird resting place.
“Without the trees, people will be able to see us better,” Harris said.
“Now that they’re gone, we won’t have to deal with all the bird poop.”
In September, Rick Sepler, who was then development director, said the city and White had talked for several years about the repair of the building but were unable to come to an agreement until then.
He characterized the degradation of the building as “normal wear and tear on buildings that age.”
Sepler, who left in October to become the Bellingham planning director, said the city’s interest was “to stabilize the facade and minimize the potential risk to the public.”
Sepler said a city engineer had determined there was no imminent risk if the building was not repaired, “but this is something that needs to get done in a timely manner.”
The Lewis Building was built in 1889 and purchased by White’s father, Robert Haggard, in the mid-1960s.
“I really love that building, and I want to fix it up,” said White, who lives in Gig Harbor and is owner of a foundry that manufactures municipal storm grates among other products.
El Serape Mexican Restaurant is currently the building’s only occupant. Its second retail space is currently vacant.
There are two floors of living space. White hopes to turn the top floor into a space for her family and the second floor into rentals.
Electrical lines and telephone wires were buried on Taylor Street as part of a 2012 sidewalk project.
Only electrical lines will be buried in this project on Water Street.
Also, the city goal is to eventually bury all downtown utility lines, but that won’t happen for some time, Peterson said.
“We’d love to have all the downtown utilities underground, but we don’t have the budget,” he said.
“We’ll do it when the opportunity arises and other people can contribute to this.”
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
