The Uptown Enhancement Project will not be finished by Friday, Dec. 22, despite efforts by the city of Sedona and Tiffany Construction.

By Trista Steers
Larson Newspapers
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The Uptown Enhancement Project will not be finished by Friday, Dec. 22, despite efforts by the city of Sedona and Tiffany Construction.

Issues with subcontractors working on Apple Avenue pushed the completion date back again.

Drawing a line from Grumpy Joe’s south to Sunterra’s Activities Information Center on Hwy. 89A shows which sections will be completed by Dec. 22, Tiffany Construction Project Manager Chevelle Frantz said.

Everything east of the line will be finished. Everything west — Apple Avenue — will not.

“Some of the scheduling was over-optimistic,” City Manager Eric Levitt said.

According to Levitt, the city has learned a lot from this project.

Frantz said deadlines probably could have been met if other issues hadn’t come up.

Coordinating issues with subcontractors on the project has delayed the completion of Apple Avenue, according to Frantz.

Arizona Water Co. is still working on a water line it is replacing along the road. The replacement wasn’t included in the original plan.

AWC approached Tiffany with the proposal during construction.

AWC wanted to do the work in conjunction with the Uptown Enhancement Project so the road wouldn’t have to later be closed again for the replacement.

Undergrounding utilities is another issue holding up Apple Avenue.

Tiffany is waiting for Arizona Public Service and Qwest to put their lines underground so they can remove two utility poles.

Paving Apple Avenue cannot be done until the water line and the utility work is complete.

Monetary penalties for not meeting deadlines are in the contract between the city and Tiffany. Fees will be charged if Tiffany cannot justify the delay.

Currently, no fees have been charged.

According to Frantz, construction on Hwy. 89A will be done by the Dec. 22 deadline, including paving and completing the wall in front of the Matterhorn Shoppes.

Minor touchups will have to made after the deadline, Frantz said, but those were anticipated.

Hwy. 89A will be in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations including wide walking paths.

“Now you’ve got a much more pedestrian-friendly area,” Frantz said.

City Engineer Charles Mosley said signs will also be posted in the area alerting motorists to the heavy pedestrian traffic.

Tiffany will take a two-week break after Dec. 22 and resume work after the new year. Levitt said this is due to the heavy tourist traffic during the holidays.

City staff and Frantz explained the delay and future plans to 14 residents who showed up to the biweekly Uptown Enhancement Project update meeting.

Another meeting will be held Dec. 22 at 8 a.m. at Wayside Chapel, 401 N. Hwy. 89A, Uptown.