Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The question over a retaining wall in Tekoa appears to be on hold until warmer weather returns.
Built on Warren Street last year as part of a road construction project, the wall was revisited this November after city officials deemed it unsatisfactory.
The city held back $28,000 in retainage to Accelerated Construction of Plummer, Idaho, notifying them they would like its “porous” nature, as described by Tekoa Mayor John Jaeger, to be corrected.
Representatives of the company came back to Tekoa in the second week of November to work on it.
About three feet of the wall was done before the weather turned too cold.
Jaeger indicated that the work appeared satisfactory.
“If they can fix all of it like that, then that will probably solve it,” he said.
The retainage sum will remain held back until work is complete.
The $576,354 total project was paid for by the state Transportation Improvement Board grant.
The money that the city has retained is a standard construction practice. The retainage also allows for a public entity to correct what may be incomplete or unsatisfactory work before officially accepting a project.
If the city ultimately doesn’t accept the work, the city will use the retainage to hire another contractor, Jaeger said.
Accelerated Construction was awarded the project by the city last year by lowest bid. A city is required by law to choose the lowest bidder.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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