Aberdeen looks for funding to repair Basich Boulevard

By Dan Hammock • April 12, 2020 9:30 am
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The damage on Basich Boulevard will cost an estimated $500,000 to repair. The City of Aberdeen is pursuing funding options to fix the slide area, which provides access to the hospital and is a tsunami evacuation route.
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The damage on Basich Boulevard will cost an estimated $500,000 to repair. The City of Aberdeen is pursuing funding options to fix the slide area, which provides access to the hospital and is a tsunami evacuation route.

Basich Boulevard, closed since Dec. 22 due to settlement and washed out completely in early January in the Herbig Heights area of Aberdeen, remains that way as the city searches for funding for the estimated $500,000 repair.

At Wednesday’s Aberdeen City Council meeting, several council members expressed public safety concerns about the extended closure of the roadway. The loss of the route has extended the time it takes for emergency vehicles to get to the hospital, and it is also a tsunami evacuation route

The discussion Wednesday was spurred by public comment submitted by Ward 4 resident Edward J. Brewster, who said the closure is “a major problem for all of us who live on the hill.” He said he had written to council members expressing his concern and was told in response to one he wrote Jan. 22 by Ward 4 Councilwoman Deborah Ross that the city was still trying to secure funding.

Brewster said the lack of access was a “safety issue” for Herbig Heights, especially for those who need emergency services, saying it takes an additional 15 minutes to get the hospital with Basich Boulevard closed.

Ross said she was “surprised and concerned the project was on hold.” She called it a public-safety issue. It’s also a main tsunami evacuation route, she said.

“It’s not just a matter of convenience, it really is a matter of public safety,” she said, adding she thought the city should be obligated to do whatever it can to repair the roadway.

Mayor Pete Schave said, “We are working on it and looking for funding,” and said if the council wanted to spend money out of the general fund for the repair they could vote to do so.

Councilman Tim Alstrom, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said a discussion about Basich Boulevard is on the agenda for the next committee meeting.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Karen Rowe said she too has received many comments regarding the road, from those who live in the neighborhood and from first responders.

“It really is a very necessary road to have open,” she said, adding that the additional minutes needed by first responders to get to the neighborhood and then to the hospital could mean “life or death,” and said the city needs to do something to fix the roadway.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Basich Boulevard in the Herbig Heights area of Aberdeen. The hospital is visible in the distance.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Basich Boulevard in the Herbig Heights area of Aberdeen. The hospital is visible in the distance.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The damage on Basich Boulevard will cost an estimated $500,000 to repair. The City of Aberdeen is pursuing funding options to fix the slide area, which provides access to the hospital and is a tsunami evacuation route.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The damage on Basich Boulevard will cost an estimated $500,000 to repair. The City of Aberdeen is pursuing funding options to fix the slide area, which provides access to the hospital and is a tsunami evacuation route.