Current Public Works and Engineering Projects

What are we currently working on in the Public Works and Engineering Departments?

Annual Street Striping: A contractor will paint the yellow center lines, white fog lines, and white bike lane striping later this summer. Our St. Helens Public Works crew will be working on the parking tic marks, crosswalks, yellow curbs, and legends such as bike lane symbols, railroad crossing, etc.

Citywide Sewer Rehabilitation and Repair Project: Currently finishing a project which rehabilitated or replaced over 500 feet of sewer lines and 18 manholes across the city.

North Vernonia Road Sidewalk Project:  Construction of approximately 3,650 feet of sidewalks along both sides of N. Vernonia Road between Oakwood Drive to MacArthur Street. Although some trees will have to be removed to accommodate the new sidewalk, approximately 26 new trees will be planted. The project has just gone out for bid.   

Columbia Boulevard Sidewalk Construction Grant Project: Design work is underway to build a sidewalk on the east (south) side of Columbia Boulevard starting from the new sidewalk on Gable Road and connecting to the existing sidewalk just south of Oak Glen Drive. Improvements to the crosswalk at Sykes Road and the crossing at McBride Elementary School will also be part of the project. This will create safe passage for pedestrians, particularly children walking to and from the St. Helens High School and McBride Elementary School.

Columbia View Park Waterfront Boardwalk (Phase One) and Amphitheater Stage Replacement: Working with the City’s Planning Department to begin design and engineering work for this partially grant-funded project. This project will replace the Columbia View Park Amphitheater stage to accommodate larger gatherings and improve sound quality and install a waterfront boardwalk within the park which will eventually connect to a larger trail system along the riverfront. The design work is anticipated to begin in the Fall 2020 due to grant funding delays at the state and federal levels.

Update Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage Master Plans: This is an approximate 16-month project that will look at long-term future growth of the city in order to identify and prioritize projects and expansion of the City’s sanitary sewer and storm drain systems. 

ADA Ramp Replacement Project: Over the past several years the City has taken actions to improve curb ramps across the City, and the upcoming ADA ramp replacement project seeks to continue expanding and providing accessible public areas for individuals with disabilities. The project will construct approximately eight curb ramps around the City which will be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the project challenges that will be faced include relocating water meters and storm drains and adjusting manholes.

All-Abilities Playground at McCormick Park: Thanks in part to winning a Moda Assist Grant, the McCormick Park playground equipment will be replaced with a new playground structure which will include new all-abilities playground equipment. We are currently waiting on guidelines and funding from the grant program in order to move forward with this project.

Subdivision Infrastructure: The Public Works and Engineering Departments have been working with developers to approve construction of infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, water lines, sewer lines, storm lines, drainage plans) at the Hanna Place subdivision (10-lot development on North 15th Street) and Graystone Estates (80-lot subdivision off Highway 30 near the DMV).

Rebuild Pump: Public Works just completed having a pump rebuilt that serves Ranney Well #2, which is one of the City’s two primary drinking water wells. Ranney Well #2 is located at the end of E Street in Columbia City, on the banks of the Columbia River. It collects water from under the riverbed through multiple horizontal lateral pipes which feed the water supply into a central caisson and is then pumped to the Water Filtration Facility. Ranney Well #2 has been in service since 1969 and can provide up to 3.5 million gallons of water per day.

Dalton Lake Nature Preserve Improvements: Public Works will install kiosks, a bench, and bike rack that the Friends of Dalton Lake Nature Preserve are donating. One of kiosks will go at the south end of the Nature Park and another at the main entrance at the north end. Interpretive signs will eventually be installed along the trails to identify native plants and bird species. Public Works plans on building a small gravel parking pad off the edge of the trail for more convenient access.

Storm Drain Improvements on South 14th Street: The continued flooding problems in the South 14th Street area south of Tualatin Street have prompted the City to move forward with plans to perform storm drain improvements. This will help mitigate the flooding in this area by constructing new storm drain lines, manholes, and catch basins. The work will also divert a portion of the storm flows in this area from an existing storm system, which is already at capacity, to a nearby, larger storm system to the south.

Campbell Park Sports Court Grant Project: The City received a $187,024 grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation’s 2019 Local Government Grant Program. This project will replace the dilapidated tennis courts and existing basketball courts with two tennis flex courts and one basketball flex court. The Public Works Department will be providing the demolition of the existing courts, rough grading of the site, and extending a storm drain pipe through the ditch that runs parallel to the existing tennis courts so that the parking lot can be expanded. The demolition, grading, and storm drain work will be completed this summer. The timing of the sports court installation will be dependent on the contractor’s schedule.

Published July 30, 2020