To the editor:

Reading the article “Council addresses Fort Ward Hill safety concerns” in the July 4 print edition, I am astonished at the $47,300 estimation for installing 240 feet of guard rail.

While I don’t presume to know what kind of guard rail will be installed, I find $197.83 per linear foot to be a bit too “convenient.”

Reasonable estimations are around $14  per foot for wood rails and wood beams, and that includes $35/hour labor. Corrugated steel rails are approximately the same price.

Granted the posts may have to be double the usual length and driven into the ground with a pile driver, this additional labor might double the cost to something like $30 a foot.

ELDON JOHANSEN

Bainbridge Island