PORT ANGELES — An apologetic Mike Chapman praised public works officials Monday for cutting a construction management cost estimate for the $12.1 million Carlsborg sewer project.

Seven days earlier, on March 7, the Clallam commissioner had threatened to refuse to sign the contract, which he had called “highway robbery.”

“I blew it,” Chapman said Monday. “I’m just a passionate guy.”

Earlier in the meeting Monday, Public Works Administrative Director Bob Martin pledged to hire a field inspector in-house rather than spend $272,000 of $974,000 under the construction management agreement with consultant Gray & Osborne Inc., which would have included the inspector’s housing and per diem expenses as well as consultant costs of the Seattle-based company.

Martin said in a later interview Monday that the total contract should be about $810,000, including about $38,000 for the inspector instead of $272,000.

The efficacy of the cost reduction proposal and other financing aspects of the project will be reviewed by the county Finance Committee, chaired by Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis, at a meeting open to the public at 9 a.m. March 24 in the commissioners’ meeting room.

Construction on the sewer project is expected to begin in April with completion by April 1, 2017.

“Carrying the field inspector on the county side greatly reduces the rate,” Martin told Chapman and his fellow Commissioners Bill Peach and Mark Ozias.

“The key issue with these lines going forward is making sure they don’t leak,” he added, noting the county is paying the city of Sequim for sewage treatment by the gallon.

Following Martin’s presentation, Chapman apologized for March 7 comments that included the pledge, “I’m not going to sign this contract.”

Chapman had said then he could not justify the costs. “That’s highway robbery of the taxpayer,” he claimed.

Martin responded on March 7: “We’re doing more of it with the consultant and less of it in-house is what it boils down to.”

Apology made

Chapman said he was sorry Monday after Martin’s presentation and said the same thing after the meeting to Peach and Ozias.

“I deeply apologize,” he told Martin, praising him for “doing a phenomenal job” coming up with an alternative.

“I was trying to raise a point. I was just wrong the way I raised it. This is what the taxpayers want.”

Martin told Chapman not to worry.

Rather, what bothered Martin was a rumor that he had heard alleging he was pushing the contract amendment “in order to take advantage of it for future employment with Gray & Osborne,” Martin said.

“I don’t know who’s floating it around, but it’s bogus.”

In a later interview Monday, Martin said his department had been working on hiring an inspector in-house as of March 7.

“I wanted to get a contract into place, and if and when we did hire someone, we would be able to reduce the cost of the contract,” Martin said.

“We have a much better idea that it will work out than we had last week.”

Three goals

Martin said he has three goals when the project is presented to the Finance Committee.

“What we will be trying to show the finance committee is, No. 1, that we’ve got enough money to do this project; No. 2, that we’ve got a plan figured out on how to repay the $10 million [state Public Trust Fund] loan, and that we’ve got a contingency fund to respond if the Opportunity Fund goes away,” Martin said.

The county Opportunity Fund, which consists of a portion of the state sales tax that supports infrastructure in rural areas, would repay the 30-year loan.

The system will serve about two-thirds of Carlsborg’s urban growth area, including industrial and commercial parcels and some residential areas.

The project eliminates the need for drainfields and septic systems.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.