News

May 10, 2023

Port Angeles projects lined up through 2029

Radio system, IT upgrades among priorities PORT ANGELES — Approximately 37 new

Radio system, IT upgrades among priorities

PORT ANGELES — Approximately 37 new capital facilities projects are in the works at the City of Port Angeles, totaling $24.4 million with 18 projects valued at $13.3 million yet to be funded.

The Port Angeles City Council met with city staff Tuesday night to discuss upcoming capital facilities projects (CFPs) and review those completed in 2022.

"We have a number of large new projects coming our way in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024," City Finance Director Sarina Carrizosa said.

The projects are ranked in order of priority within each funding category, including general government, transportation, electric, water, wastewater, solid waste, information systems, public safety and parks and recreation.

The top public safety priority is the Peninsula Communications (PenCom) radio system project, which costs $450,000.

The project is outlined in the city's 2024-2029 plan as one to replace PenCom's radio equipment with state-of-the-art radio internet protocol dispatch services to support the dispatch of its 17 agencies.

Information systems also has three top-priority projects costing a total of $490,000, including the installation of an intrusion detection and prevention system or an artificial intelligence-driven system that detects and prevents unauthorized access to the city's networks and systems.

That project will cost $200,000, half of which will be paid for with a grant.

A $140,000 project will increase the city's primary backup storage, doubling the capacity from 240 terabytes to 480 terabytes to account for increased data and longer data retention.

The city also plans to replace its SCADA server, which allows workers to remotely access electric, water and wastewater utilities that operate on closed-loop networks with redundant servers that command and control the utilities. That project will cost $150,000.

Fourth in the city's priority list is to create a long haul truck tarping station for $200,000.

The electrical fund has several high-ranking projects, four of which are overhead reconductoring systems. Those projects are set to occur in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2029 and include replacing the existing copper conductor with an aluminum conductor and other targeted damaged or failing overhead conductors.

The 2024 and 2029 projects will cost $150,000, and the 2025 and 2026 projects will cost $250,000.

The electrical fund also plans an underground cable replacement in 2023 for $250,000.

The water fund has two priority projects at the Tumwater Creek crossings at 11th and 14th streets. Both projects will cost $60,000.

The transportation fund has three high-ranking projects, including a $3 million upgrade of the signal controller at First and Front streets. That will be followed with additional improvements from Lincoln Street to Eighth Street at $3.3 million.

In addition, a pavement preservation project set for 2029 will cost $500,000.

The single priority in the wastewater fund is to rehabilitate neighborhood sewers for $750,000.

Other listed projects are currently unfunded (UF).

"Unfunded projects are included in the CFP to demonstrate the total capital needed in each fund," Carrizosa said.

"Unfunded projects are typically large-scale in nature and costly, but just because the project has been given the UF designation does not reduce its significance, they are just not an economic reality at this point."

Carrizosa highlighted the projects that were completed in 2022.

"We have done a great job at completing 25 projects in 2022 with a total budget of $6.5 million," she said. "These projects were completed at $5.6 million, just over $800,000 under budget."

Some include the installation of the Erickson Playfield pumptrack ($383,555), the first part of the Lincoln Street safety improvements ($459,744) and EV charging stations at city hall ($48,160).

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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at [email protected]. --> -->