Friday, April 03, 2026
48.0°F

Two Quincy streets slated for improvements

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 6 months AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | September 23, 2023 11:48 AM

QUINCY — Sections of Third Avenue SW and Sixth Avenue NE in Quincy are scheduled for improvements. Quincy City Council members approved bids for two separate road projects Sept. 19, with bid opening Sept. 28.

The section of Third Avenue SW slated for improvement runs from B Street SW to Division Street West. City Engineer Ariel Belino said it’s the last section of the street scheduled for improvement.

“That portion of the roadway is just a dirt road, and during a rain event the water tends to pool there,” Belino said. “We wanted to finish that (section), put sidewalks on the west side and (add) some stormwater detention.”

The road will be excavated, a new roadbed with storm drains added, with new curbs, gutters and sidewalk and the road paved with asphalt.

The Sixth Avenue NE project will include the section from G Street NE to I Street NE.

“This project is to widen the narrow portion of Sixth Avenue Northeast from G Street to south of I Street Northeast,” Belino said.

The street provides access to a housing development and the developers planned to widen it, he said.

“However, it’s not part of the frontage of their property so it falls to the city,” he said.

Sixth Avenue NE is paved; the old asphalt will be taken out, the roadbed rebuilt and storm drains installed, curbs, gutters and sidewalks added, and the road repaved.

Council members also approved awarding a bid to Vasquez Construction, Quincy, to extend the sidewalk on the south side of Jackrabbit Street opposite Quincy High School. Project cost was $50,000 plus taxes.

The vote was 4-1, with Josey Ferguson voting no.

It’s the second phase of a project to widen the sidewalk between Third and Sixth Avenue NE. Vasquez Construction was the contractor for the first phase, and Ferguson said he wasn’t satisfied with the work.

“I have a little issue with their workmanship, just driving by and seeing how they did things,” Ferguson said.

Two sections of the sidewalk were replaced, Belino said, at his direction. Ferguson said from his observations the base layer was not properly prepared in other sections. Belino said city officials can require further repairs if necessary.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
April 3, 2026 3 a.m.

Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway

EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”

Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
April 2, 2026 1:48 p.m.

Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate

QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.

Othello Community Museum to open April 25
April 1, 2026 3:45 a.m.

Othello Community Museum to open April 25

OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.