Bid taken, more infrastructure work to come

CASCADE LOCKS — City council met Sept. 28, moving forward on several infrastructure projects and taking steps to prepare for Alexander Nelson, the new permanent city administrator who’s slated to begin Nov. 9.

The council accepted a bid for a “hardening” project, funded entirely by a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, intended to make the city’s electrical grid more resilient by upgrading current substations and distribution lines over I-84. DJ’s Electrical from Battleground, Washington, got the $1.6 million contract.

Discussion focused on a request from Councilor Bernard Seeger for a 10% maximum on overages. Interim City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman said the whole project, some of which is already completed, was approved as budgeted at $3 million.

Seeger also mentioned that the lack of bidders may have been due to concerns about the already-completed engineering work. Another city project showed interest from 11 bidders, while DJ’s Electric was the only bidder for the hardening project.

More infrastructure work will soon be underway: paving the parking lot at City Hall, using some leftover funds from the roof project and some budgeted funds. The council approved a bid from Ajax Northwest for $99,650 to complete the work.

Zimmerman also shared that the Ruckel Creek slide is repaired.

City admin performance review

The council then approached the idea of a city administrator performance evaluation to be used as a tool in conjunction with the job description. The discussion was wide-ranging. Zimmerman provided the current job description, the City of Cascade Locks Personnel Performance Evaluation, and a guide for best practices.

Councilor Tiffany Pruit bemoaned the previous tool used for the former city administrator as being ineffective at communicating some of the councilors’ concerns.

Mayor Brenda Wood echoed her frustration about how long it took to “separate” from the previous administrator, saying, “It should not have taken three years.” She said that she had informed the council about her concerns but “it seemed like it had fallen on deaf ears,” and reiterated the need for professionalism and communication among city leaders.

They also addressed the failure of the council to meet its own goals, something an effective city administrator should also work toward. Seeger, however, said that “part of our job as a council is to set up the city administrator for success.”

The group considered specific examples and templates, but made no decisions. They did concur that feedback given early and ongoing communication would be two priorities moving forward.