Hillsboro council awards $2.115 million contract for Huffman East Widening; approves escrow for right-of-way acquisitions

The Hillsboro City Council on June 3 approved a $2,115,000 contract with Peel Incorporated to construct the Huffman East Widening Improvements and separately authorized funding to an escrow account to acquire right-of-way and easements required for the project.

City staff described the project as long-planned and tied to development activity in the area. Sean Morrison, division manager for Public Works Capital Development, told the council the Huffman East work was coordinated with the Majestic Brookwood development and noted that properties tied to that development paid into transportation fees that support the project. Paul Dedio (Capital & Public Works) and Morrison answered council questions about project timing and coordination; staff agreed to follow up with a written memo on how projects are prioritized and where the equity toolkit factors into future scheduling decisions.

Councilor Harris moved the first reading of ordinance 6,500 to incorporate model floodplain language (see separate article). For the Huffman East contract, Councilor Case moved approval of the contract and Councilor Harris seconded the motion. The roll call vote approved the contract.

The council then approved a separate motion to fund an escrow account to acquire right-of-way and easements from AccuMed LLC and International Paper LLC that are necessary for construction. That funding motion was seconded and passed by roll call vote.

Council discussion focused on project timing and process. Councilors asked how projects are selected now that the city uses an equity toolkit; staff said the equity toolkit was not available at the time this project scope was set, and they offered to circulate a memo describing the multi-step process and timeline staff use to prioritize capital projects.

Outcome: contract awarded to Peel Incorporated in the amount of $2,115,000; escrow funding for required right-of-way and easements approved. Staff will provide additional documentation on project prioritization and the role of developer contributions and city fees in project funding.