Packwood residents can celebrate one small victory after the county commissioners on Tuesday approved a $3.9 million contract to begin the architecture of sewer systems in Lewis County’s easternmost community.
The contract is with HDR Engineering Inc.
The sewer has been a decadeslong desire for many in the town. State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, was able to secure $8 million in state appropriations for the work in 2021. Funds approved on Tuesday come from that appropriation. When those dollars were approved, Lewis County officials said work on the project could be completed as soon as 2024.
County Manager Erik Martin said he anticipates the consultant’s first steps will include determining scope, schedule and budget. While he said the county is not certain yet of the time or if the $8 million appropriation will cover the entire project, those questions should be answered in the coming months.
Last summer, Lewis County and the state Department of Commerce approved spending $1.6 million on phase one of the Packwood “Large On-Site Sewer System,” as it’s called in the contract. Those funds were meant to cover “pre-development activities.”
Tuesday’s resolution amends the pre-development phase contract, approving a total of $3,987,039 for architectural work.
During the last year, the town has also been drafting a subarea plan, which would guide county decisions for the unincorporated community in the coming two decades. Many residents have expressed hope that the sewer project will be an opportunity to “dig-once” while improving the whole community’s infrastructure, potentially adding sidewalks, crosswalks and beautifying the downtown corridor.
The plan is currently in the public comment phase ahead of a hearing on March 14. It is available for review online at https://bit.ly/Packwood-subarea-plan.
