The Washington County Conservation Board has met with several area contractors and received bids for the work on the Kiwi Avenue crossing of the Kewash Nature Trail. Conservation Director Steve Anderson said they were pleased with how many contractors took the time to give them a quote for the project, but in the end the board accepted the low bid from Double K Enterprises. Anderson says the price they were given was well under the engineer’s estimate, and the board is pleased that they’ll be able to come in under budget.

The contractors can begin work on the project as soon as the weather allows, but Anderson said there is a deadline. He explains, “There is a late start written into the contract that is in August. So therefore he has to start before then, but he is welcome to start whenever the weather and his schedule allow. So it has to be before the middle of August, and how much before falls to those two factors.” The Kiwi Avenue crossing is widely considered the worst place on the Kewash Nature Trail, and the board is excited to get the improvement project underway. It is being paid for through a series of grants and donations, including $27,846 from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, $9,000 from Resource Enhancement and Protection grants, and $1,000 from the RAGBRAI organization.