Mount Vernon awards contract for flood protection project

Oct. 16--MOUNT VERNON -- The city has awarded a construction contract for the final section of its decade-long flood protection project.

The $5.5 million contract was awarded to Interwest Construction Inc. in Burlington.

The work done by Interwest will bring the downtown area out of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 100-year flood plain, reducing flood insurance rates for property and business owners.

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Construction will begin in March and end by October, Public Works Director Esco Bell said.

Overall, the project has cost about $30 million, Bell said.

Interwest will be responsible for connecting two sections of flood wall.

The work will be done between Kincaid Street and the Mount Vernon Wastewater Treatment Plant. The section was previously blocked by the Commercial Cold Storage warehouse.

Earlier this year, the city negotiated with Commercial Cold Storage to tear down and rebuild part of its warehouse to make room for the wall.

Once construction is complete, the city will contact FEMA, and after a few months of review, the downtown area likely will be moved out of the flood plain.

Bell said the city got conditional approval from FEMA after submitting plans for the project.

-- Reporter Brandon Stone: [email protected], 360-416-2112, Twitter: @Brandon_SVH

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