‘Draw people to Pullman again’: Businesses react to city’s new bid for downtown revitalization project

Last month, city of Pullman officials planned to open bids from construction contractors for a multimillion-dollar project to revamp its downtown.

But there was a problem: There were no bids to open.

About a week later, after meeting with contractors and making some changes to attract bids, the city posted a second, more ambitious proposal.

The project will be paid for with about $9 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.

According to Sean Wells, public works director for Pullman, the new proposal’s changes include the potential closure of Main Street from April 1 to Oct. 15 this year.

On Jan. 18, the city will learn if its changes earned bids. But for some businesses, the new proposal equates to lean months ahead.

Brice Erickson, who co-owns B&L Bicycles on Main Street in the heart of the proposed construction area, said a slow summer could mean the end of his shop.

Erickson and his wife Leanne have operated at the location for 27 years. Around 70% of their annual revenue is earned during the summer, he said.

“Sometimes, I can earn more in a single day in June than the entire month of December,” he said.

Erickson’s concerns are numerous with the new proposal.

“There are a lot of details that have not been sorted out,” he said. “How are customers going to get access? Where are they going to be able to park downtown? How are delivery trucks going to get here when the street is closed?”

According to Wells, Erickson raises fair points. Much of these details are not definite.

But this is because a contractor has not been hired, Wells said. Contractors have different processes and plans to complete projects that can include parking, customer access and deliveries.

“Is the contractor going to do the whole street at once, or are they going to do this in blocks or sections?” he said. “The means and methods are their prerogative – we can’t dictate that.”

As it stands , all of the surrounding streets and the existing parking lots will be unaffected, Wells said.

Also, there are provisions written into the contract to allow areas for business to receive truck shipments.

Another area of concern for Erickson is the city’s plan to replace century-old sewage and storm water pipes beneath Main Street. He claims the city is unaware of the scope of the project or what the soil consists of.

Again, Wells found this to be a fair point.

“There’s a bit of truth to that. We don’t exactly know what we’re getting into when we get down around 14 feet,” he said. “But we’re fairly certain that it’s just routine excavation, or as routine as we can get in Pullman, given the fact that we’re sitting on a bunch of bedrock.”

Because of the many details to be determined, the Ericksons are planning for construction to surpass the 6½-month window outlined in the contract.

“Everyone thinks downtown needs to be fixed up. But we assume that the city of Pullman is going to fumble this thing,” he said. “That is why we’re planning for the worst-case scenario – though we’re hoping for better.”

But other business owners have a more optimistic outlook.

Tawny Szumlas, owner of Rico’s Public House across the street from the bike shop, said she believed the city sincerely tried to make downtown business owners happy with the first proposal. But because it did not mesh with contractor needs, compromises had to be made to lure bids this time around.

“I may have a minority opinion, but I am so firmly in favor of this project and the long-term good it will do for our downtown,” she said. “I’m happy that they retooled (the request for proposal). I don’t have any specific issues with what they’re doing if it means a contractor is going to pick it up.”

Even if it means some businesses fail, Szumlas backs the project because she has seen an economic downturn in Pullman over the past few decades.

“I really hope no businesses go under, but what’s the difference between a slow death or a quick one?” she said.

Szumlas, who sits on the Pullman Chamber of Commerce and is a sixth-generation Pullman resident, looked to nearby Moscow, Idaho, for what the potential impact of the project could be.

“In the early ’80s, Pullman was a bustling little metropolis. We had the restaurants and the stores, but now you can’t really spend a day here as easily as you can in Moscow,” she said. “They have a high-energy, high-impact downtown. It would be so nice if we could draw people to Pullman again.”

If it means roads are closed and her front door gets locked, Szumlas will persist, she said.

“Sidewalks will be open, so will the parking lots. I have a back door and Facebook page to get the word out,” she said. “Pullman residents have already proven their support during COVID – they won’t let us die.”

Erickson recently found hope with a visit from the newly elected mayor, Francis Benjamin.

“He came by and talked to us and heard our concerns,” he said. “He opened himself up to hearing us and discussing the impact on businesses the project will have, and that has been refreshing.”

Benjamin assumed office earlier this week, with big changes ahead for the college town.

Not only is its downtown getting a facelift, but the WSU football team will compete against teams in the Mountain West conference instead of Pac-12 heavyweights. Also, construction is wrapping up on the new Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, which is more than four times the size of its current one.

“Yes, I’m four days into the job,” he said. “But I’ve been involved with this process since the beginning.”

Benjamin said he was familiar with the concerns of business owners because of his early involvement with the project going back to his time as a chair of the Downtown Association Economic Vitality Committee and as a member of the Pullman City Council.

“Downtown revitalization is something that has been very much at the top of mind of our community members and our businesses for some time,” he said.

“And this is a big public works issue with controversy in the midst because we had to expand the scope a little bit to be not as favorable to the businesses. But I’m excited to get them through it.”

His recent conversations with owners were not only to discuss their concerns, but also about ways the construction could be turned into an opportunity.

“Some business owners are planning to use this time to make improvements to their building, including one who is upgrading their outdated sprinkler system,” he said.

He also pitched ideas on ways businesses can persevere, like acquiring low-interest business loans from local institutions or methods to extend their operations beyond downtown.

This can either be by sharing a space with businesses located elsewhere or in the way Erickson has been imaginative.

He is building trailers that connect to electric bicycles so his employees can grab two bikes at a time from customers at designated pickup locations outside of the downtown area, he said.

After hearing from business owners, Benjamin has found concerns vary.

“There’s some businesses that have their busiest time in the summer and other businesses have it in the spring or fall – there’s not one plan that is going to work for everybody,” he said.

Though he could not offer many details on common concerns like truck deliveries, customers access and parking, he is still glad to have heard from business owners.

“It’s hard to give specifics to businesses until we have contracts in place,” he said. “But I feel the most important thing is to be with the owners so they know that we’re hearing their concerns and we’re taking them into consideration.”

If contractors submit bids, the city council will approve one on Jan. 30, he said.

“It’s gonna be a tight time frame,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to lay the groundwork with our businesses to get them through the process and then to prepare them for the growth coming to Pullman.”