At a commission meeting, county commissioners approved awarding the Angel Fire airport hangar contract to Mick Rich Constructors Inc. after the previously awarded low bidder, Unified Contractor Inc., declined to sign the agreement. The commission also voted to rescind the earlier award to Unified Contractor Inc. and directed staff to submit a grant amendment to include two bid alternates.

The decision matters because the project will be funded with two grants from the New Mexico Department of Transportation Aviation Division and because one grant has an upcoming expiration that staff said could affect the construction schedule. Mike Provine, a staff member presenting the item, said the county reopened bids and, “as the bidding documents state, we evaluated those on the base bid. So throwing out unified contractor, our second low bidder is Mick Rich Constructors Inc out of Albuquerque.”

Provine provided the bid amounts: the base bid was $987,002.50; with tax the base bid is $1,044,839.25. If the county adds bid alternate No. 2 (a fuel farm canopy) and bid alternate No. 3 (a fuel truck containment pad), Provine said the total award would be $1,181,466.70. He told commissioners the two DOT Aviation Division grants would cover those costs and that staff would seek a scope amendment to one grant rather than an increase in grant dollars. Provine said the larger hangar grant, identified in the discussion as “grant 24-01,” is for $1,215,000 and that the total cost including engineering and construction administration would fall below that amount with the Mick Rich bid.

Vice Chair Kern asked whether any of the grants were at risk of reversion before construction could finish. A county staff member answered that the larger grant, “grant 24-01,” expires in June 2026 and that the other grant currently expires at the end of this calendar year; staff said they had discussed extending the second grant’s expiration with the state and that State Aviation indicated they were amenable to extending the deadline to June of next year. Provine said he would submit the grant amendment depending on the commission’s action.

Commissioners raised scheduling and contractor-history concerns. Commissioner Trujillo said the short construction season in the valley increased the urgency; Commissioner Kern noted the county’s “adverse history” with this contractor on a previous judicial center contract and said the county would need to stay on top of performance. Provine said the base work would focus on removing and replacing the existing hangar door, while the canopy and the fuel containment pad would follow, and that Mick Rich had indicated they could meet a compressed schedule if the award and paperwork proceeded promptly.

Procedurally, the commission amended the award motion to include formal rescission of the earlier award to Unified Contractor Inc.; the amended award to Mick Rich Constructors Inc. (base bid plus alternates 2 and 3) was approved by roll call with Commissioners Kern and Trujillo and Chairman Tatum voting “Yes.” Staff will submit a grant-scope amendment to the New Mexico Department of Transportation Aviation Division and process contract documents before signing the agreement.

The commission did not provide a separate dollar figure for engineering and construction administration beyond Provine’s statement that total costs would remain below the $1,215,000 hangar grant; specific contract start and completion dates were not specified in the discussion.