Camas replaces aging, ‘slippery’ sidewalks in time for Camas Days

Walking around downtown Camas has become a little less risky thanks to the city’s recent sidewalk improvement project.

Completed in time to greet thousands of Camas Days visitors, the project replaced more than 20 aggregate sidewalks sections that had received numerous complaints from pedestrians.

“The aggregate section replacements were funded by the city’s (Americans with Disabilities Act) allocated funds because of the danger to pedestrians, especially those using a walker or cane or those who have walking challenges,” said Carrie Schulstad, director of the Downtown Camas Association.

Camas Engineering Manager James Carothers told Camas City Council members in May that the city budgets $50,000 annually for ADA-related projects and that the 2022 ADA project would “replace sidewalk panels with large, exposed aggregate stone … that tend to present a tripping hazard and are known to be slippery during wet conditions.”

Carothers said the project would likely be closer to $85,000 in total than the $50,000 set aside by the city for ADA projects, but asked council to include the additional expenditures in the fall omnibus budget. The city awarded the contract for the sidewalk replacement to the lowest bidder, Clark & Sons, Inc., on May 2.

Camas Communications Director Bryan Rachal said the city replaced a total of 23 aggregate sidewalk sections that hadn’t been improved for at least 50 years.

“The work began in late May and was finished in June,” Rachal said. “There was a strong push to get (it) done before Camas Days.”

Rachal said the city also offered downtown businesses the opportunity to work with the city’s contractors to improve sidewalk sections not slated for replacement.

“A few of the merchants — Attic Gallery for sure, and I think there may have been a few more — paid to have extra sidewalk sections done,” Schulstad said.

The DCA director added that it was nice to have the aging sidewalks replaced not only ahead of Camas Days but also in time for the city’s first group of visitors from the American Empress riverboat, which is now making weekly stops at the Port of Camas-Washougal and bussing bus patrons into downtown Camas on alternating Wednesdays and Saturdays.