At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Bothell City Council moved one step closer to construction for replacing Bothell Fire Stations 42 and 45.

These projects are part of the Safe and Secure program, a bond residents approved in November 2018.

Unanimously, councilmembers approved an agreement with design-build partners BN Builders and Miller Hull, who were selected out of four finalists.

The collaborative entity is best known for design projects like Sea-Tac International Airport’s international arrivals area and the University of Washington’s west campus utility plant. Bothell Fire Stations 42 and 45 are located downtown and in Canyon Park, respectively.

BN Builders and Miller Hull will implement a progressive design build (PDB) as requested by the city. This method allows for flexibility throughout the design process as opposed to a step-by-step program, and necessitates that there be one contract holder rather than several.

The agreement covers three phases. In Phase 1A — which begins this month and lasts through April 2020 — 30 percent of the station design and 90 percent of the temporary facility design is set for completion. Phase 1B, which will last from May-August 2020, sees the development of the entire project’s guaranteed maximum price. By the end of the phase, design should be 60 percent done. For the final part, Phase 2, design, construction and closeout will all be finalized over about two and a half years. Phase 2 begins in September 2020 and concludes in January 2023, though it was noted that at the meeting that the last phase could potentially end early.

Council had a few general questions and concerns but no major misgivings about moving forward at the Nov. 12 meeting. Speaking to Jeff Sperry, the city’s fleet and facilities manager who spoke at the meeting, Deputy Mayor Davina Duerr said she hoped staff would continue to be mindful of financial impacts in more than just the short-term.

“I would just ask that as we make choices that we weigh the long-term operation and maintenance costs over the initial first cost,” she said.

At the end of the meeting, Councilmember Tom Agnew expressed his eagerness about progress.

“I’m just excited about this process moving forward,” he said. “The citizens were gracious enough to let the city build these two stations who were in dire need of repair. So I just can’t wait to get this project going and done.”

For more of the conversation about the agreement, watch the council meeting video. For background and more information about the agreement, go to the meeting agenda item.