Washington Mayor Archie Jennings did something last week he rarely gets to do — vote on a motion at a City Council meeting.

Jennings cast the deciding vote on whether to spend $331,222 or $349,932 on the new dockmaster’s station at the west end of the Stewart Parkway promenade. The council awarded a $331,222 to White Construction and Design, which had submitted an original bid of $349,932, the lowest of three bids received last month.

City officials worked with White Construction and Design to “value engineer” the project to reduce costs where possible without compromising safety issues related to the new facility. Those costs were reduced.

“We’ve also valued engineered out $18,000 fairly close to the $20,000 we estimated,” City Manager Brian Alligood said.

Other projects came in under budget, which would have allowed the city to apply that surplus money toward the dockmaster’s station project.

Councilman Doug Mercer said he prefers delaying the Peterson Building project (access ramp and entrance improvements) for one year and transferring the money budgeted in the current budget for that project to the dockmaster’s station project. That way, Mercer said, the dockmaster’s station project could be built as originally designed.

Alligood said the items “value engineered” out of the dockmaster’s station project do not compromise the structural viability of the project. He also said the project — if it included the proposed changes to reduce costs — would meet local and state building codes.

“I really think we should stick with the first-class project,” Mercer said.

Councilman Bobby Roberson also supported the costlier project amount.

Mercer and Roberson voted against the $331,222 contract, while Jennings and council members William Pitt and Richard Brooks voted for it. Councilman Ed Moultrie did not attend the meeting. The tie vote among council members put Jennings in the position to decide the matter.

The project includes a dockmaster’s station, public restrooms, boaters’ bathrooms and laundry facilities for boaters at the west end of Stewart Parkway. The structure is designed so it reflects the architecture of the historic Pamlico Lighthouse.