ARLINGTON — The Arlington City Council made progress on the Arlington Valley Road and its water and sewer comprehensive plans Jan. 18.

After Debora Nelson was officially selected as the new mayor pro tem, the council approved using $31,800 from the Transportation Improvement Fund to contract Roland Resources’ services in making all the real estate arrangements needed for right of way on the planned Arlington Valley Road.

City staff reviewed several proposals from the Municipal Research & Services Center and recommended Roland Resources to analyze, negotiate for and acquire real property interests for up to 11 parcels along the proposed three-quarter-mile road.

“They’ll need to coordinate continuously with those landowners, as well as hire consultants,” city engineer Eric Scott said.

The council also approved a $96,300 supplement to the city’s engineering design contract with Reid Middleton, likewise for the Arlington Valley Road.

“We’re adding utilities which were not part of the original plan,” said Scott, who added that a reevaluation of the traffic impacts on 74th Avenue and 204th Street warrant adding a signal at their intersection. “We don’t want it to jam up with the shift changes at AMT.”

Scott anticipated the design phase will wrap up before the end of this year, paving the way for construction to start next year.

The original contract was for $176,229.61, and its new total is $272,529.61.

Although the updates to the city water and sewer comp plans were largely routine, having already gone through planning commission public hearings and been met with the approval of the Department of Ecology, Nelson reflected on Arlington’s relative good fortune.

“When I see what’s happening in Flint, Mich., I’m so thankful that we have this system in place,” Nelson said. “We don’t have to worry whether our drinking water is healthy.”