Jefferson County has issued its first call for bids for work on the new Port Hadlock Wastewater Facility.

County commissioners approved a call for bids at their meeting March 6.

The county is seeking a contractor for Phase 1 work, which includes site preparations, earthwork, and the installation of utilities.

Sealed bids will be accepted through March 27.

Commissioners noted the milestone during this week’s board meeting.

County Commissioner Kate Dean said she was “so excited to see the first call for bids for the sewer project.”

“Gosh. Years and years and years to get to that point,” Dean added.

She noted that the project had been “hobbling along” mostly through the efforts of county employees.

“It’ll be really nice to get some contractors going on this,” Dean added.

The Phase 1 work includes constructing the wastewater percolation pond; the roadway into the future wastewater treatment plant site; main influent sewer pipelines from Highway 116 to the treatment plant; and the main effluent pipeline from the treatment plant to the percolation pond.

The project also includes the installation of utilities for the treatment plant site, including water, electric, and fiber.

The work is expected to start in the spring and continue through the summer.

The county will issue additional bids for contractors in the early fall. Those bids will cover the construction of the actual wastewater treatment plant and for portions of the sewer collection system installed in nearby roadways.

Following the board’s approval of the call for bids, Dean recalled discussions she’s had with officials across the state, and noted her pride in Jefferson County having a shovel-ready project to start as funding becomes available.

“This is really hard to do: To build a new municipal sewer system. Almost nobody’s doing it because it’s so challenging in so many ways,” Dean told her fellow commissioners.

The county has estimated the cost of the Phase 1 work to be between $2.3 million and $ 2.6 million, plus state sales tax.

Funding for the project, and future phases, will come from a $20 million appropriation for the project that was approved by the state Legislature in 2021.

The state received the funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and state and local fiscal recovery funds, according to the county.

The county is not required to put up matching funds, but will use funding that it received from the American Rescue Plan Act to pay for ancillary project costs. Those costs include design, rights of way acquisitions, and project management.