By Brian Hoop
Progress is occurring on the Linnton Trail project along the Willamette River at NW 107th according to project manager Noel Johnson. Project documents submitted to the City for permit have been reviewed and replied with comments from key agencies. Our project team has already responded with an updated resubmission.
Johnson reports project costs will be materially higher due to a recent State requirement for inquiry to the Bureau of Labor and Industry which resulted in determining the project would likely be subject to “prevailing wage” rules possibly increasing construction costs by 30% to 40%.
“The group should be clear that the estimated $500,000 “funding gap” – due to our post-COVID inflation – is now something much larger due to this state requirement,” said Johnson at a recent project committee meeting. Final cost estimates will not be available till we have approved drawings and then receive bids from several contractors.
A recent “Grant Review” with the State Department of Administrative Services confirmed the project is in good standing. Johnson reports that accounting of expenditures continues to be precise, accurate and timely. Consultants being paid for services rendered continue to be at or below market rate.
Suggestions for seeking additional funding have included pursuing Parks Systems Development Charges (SDC), Metro grants, or State legislative appropriations during the 2025 session. Significant unspent Parks SDC funds do exist according to a 2022-23 Parks SDC Annual Report. See report at – https://tinyurl.com/4v5ny2wr.
Linnton’s former State Representative, Brad Witt, secured the original $800,000 in COVID-era federal American Rescue Plan funding.
A potential permit approval issue is that the Planning Bureau may want the project to go through another land use approval process despite it already being approved in 1998. The project’s land use lawyers, Radler White Parks Alexander, have been working with Johnson to help Planning staff understand that such an idea is confused.