PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend commissioners have authorized staff members to advertise for bids on the stormwater treatment improvement project for the Boat Haven marina despite lacking a final cost estimate.

The port does not have completed plans for the project and is basing the cost estimate on partial plans.

The current project estimate is $353,701.

“I’d rather have an official cost estimate,” said Sam Gibboney, port executive director, at Wednesday’s meeting with commissioners, “but given our deadline, we need to keep things moving forward as expeditiously as possible.”

The port is required to have the improvements to the stormwater system in place by Sept. 30, according to an administrative order from the state Department of Ecology.

The project, as it is proposed now, would update four in-ground sand filters located around the Boat Haven marina boatyard.

The sand filters would be replaced with “multi-component” filters, which would trap debris from the boatyard before it gets to the water.

The project also would change the above-ground filters to a mixed-component filtration system and update piping and the path of the drainage system, according to the most recent engineering report.

That plan has not been approved by the Department of Ecology, but at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting, Gibboney said the approval was imminent.

“We’ve had correspondence from the Department of Ecology requesting hard copies of the plan,” Gibboney said.

“That indicates to us that they will be sending us an approval letter and approve of our plan any day now.”

Bid advertisements will be issued Aug. 4, and the port plans to open up bidding Aug. 18, according to the project schedule.

Port officials hope to select a contractor and begin construction Aug. 21 to make substantial progress by the Sept. 30 deadline. Construction is not expected to be complete until Oct. 6.

“These milestones assume that Ecology approval will be final by July 28, 2017,” says the port’s schedule, which was handed out during Wednesday’s meeting.

Commissioners also extended the port contract with Landau Associates Inc., which was brought in as project consultant.

The contract now retains Landau as a consultant through December, rather than the original May deadline, and adds to the consulting firm’s workload.

Landau will now also help the port through the bidding process, provide engineering support, be on call for permit assistance and oversee construction.

The original contract was not to exceed $28,800, and that has been increased to $80,800.

The commissioners approved both the amendments to the Landau contract and the approval of bid advertisements unanimously.

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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.