SNOHOMISH — The pipes under First Street are overdue for a major overhaul, city administrator Steve Schuller explained to the City Council at a workshop Aug. 17.
Under the road, there’s a 127-year-old clay sewer line, and cast-iron water pipes are between 35 to 90 years old.
“Any (consultant) report would say you should have replaced it 30 years ago, 40 years ago,” Schuller told the council. “I don’t think I’m overstating here, but we have a giant mess here and we’re lucky it’s still there.”
For the city, it is a question of how to approach the issue.
One option is to approach First Street property owners to pitch in money with a Local Improvement District to help pay toward replacing the sidewalks, street lights, pedestrian safety and ADA accessibility improvements above-ground as part of a larger refresh for the First Street corridor.
The city plans to hire engineering consultants to assess the situation and inform the city what First Street would need.
A majority of City Council members said this information must be obtained before approaching First Street property owners.
The city is thinking it will hold town hall meetings once it has a clearer picture on the solutions.
The city would seek out government grant funding as well as tap into its own resources.
A Local Improvement District is used to finance projects using municipal bonds. A district shows investors the bond can be repaid with a reliable tax stream: taxes on properties in the district.
