The Orcas Fire Department Board of Commissions have decided to extend the deadline for contractors to submit bids for the construction of the new Deer Harbor Station.
After a walk-through on Aug. 11, the eight contractors who have signed on to present bids for the new station requested more time to finalize their bids. No new contractors will be allowed to propose bids.
At the Orcas Fire District meeting later on Aug. 11, Commissioners Clyde Duke and Barbara Bedell authorized moving the bid submission date out to Sept. 1, instead of Aug. 25 as originally stated by the District.
A special meeting was then authorized for Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Eastossund Fire Hall to open the bids publicly. Chief Mike Harris and the Board of Commissioners will review the bids and present their recommendations at the regularly-scheduled meeting on Sept. 8.
The Board also clarified that the septic system will be re-instated in the specifications for the general contractor, while landscaping will be separated out from the general specifications.
In addition, the Board clarified that the contract completion time should be stated in the bid. Earlier they had requested completion within 165 days or upon the contractor’s estimate. This caused some confusion, Duke said, and so the 165-day clause was removed from the specifications.
Chief Harris said that the Fire District has a “very tentaive” date of Sept. 22 for Ground Breaking at the Deer Harbor station.
