Port Airport project receives four bids

A pre-bid meeting session was hosted at the Port of Whitman office Dec. 5 regarding the Port of Whitman County Business Air Center realignment and drainage project at Colfax

At the Dec. 19 port meeting, Debbie Snell, Port of Whitman properties and development manager, updated the port staff and commissioners on the project.

“We received four bids, which is a lot better than the one bid we received last time,” Snell said. “It's encouraging.”

The four bids were submitted by Motley-Motley Inc., M. L. Albright & Sons Inc., Germer Construction and Murphy Brothers Shamrock Construction.

Back in May, the port began a project that would include paving existing airport access roads and installing a new drainage infrastructure at the airport. Other parts of the project include grading and cleaning existing ditches to help prevent flooding.

When the project was up for bid in May only one bid was received and that bid was rejected.

“The apparent low bidder on the project is Motley-Motley Inc.,” Snell said. “Their bid was $3,000 under the engineer's estimate.”

Snell said she doesn't anticipate a bid award till next spring due to timing with the Federal Aviation Association and funding releases.

There is no specific timeline for when the bid needs to be accepted. It is all contingent on FAA funding, according to the bid package.

This project is slated to start in late August or early September of 2020. Once the project is started it will take approximately 60 days to be completed.

“This project will not impact airport operations simply because it is an internal road project and won't impact anything that has to do with the runway or taxiway,” Snell said.

It was presented to the port commissioners and the recommendation from the staff was to review and discuss bids and authorize staff to move forward with a bid award and contract with the successful bidder contingent upon approval by the FAA.