The council authorized the mayor to sign a $301,413.21 contract modification for the 12th and Commercial (Safeway) intersection improvement project at the Nov. 17 meeting.

Interim Public Works Director Logan Lee told the council the additional cost is primarily for signal‑pole foundations that must be significantly deeper than shown in the original contract because soil at the intersection is silty, organic and saturated. Lee said the poles need to be approximately 25 feet deep to meet WSDOT and safety standards. The modification increases the total contract price to $2,431,276.72. Lee noted Strider Construction executed prior related work and the project is funded with $1.75 million in state NTIB grants, with the balance coming from local funds.

Councilmember (speaker 2) moved to authorize the mayor to sign the change order; a councilmember seconded the motion and the council approved it by roll call.