County staff recommend award of ORV park entry-improvement contract to Liberty Concrete; project funded by grants and county funds

Public Works presented the Phase 1 entry-improvement project for the county’s ORV Park in Airway Heights and asked commissioners to authorize award of the construction contract to Liberty Concrete as the lowest responsible bidder.

Staff described the work as road realignment of about a quarter-mile of entry road, removal of a disused gatehouse, reusing an existing custom gate, security lighting, and installation of a new entry sign constructed in-house by parks maintenance. The department received five bids ranging from about $404,000 to $633,000; the engineer’s estimate had been about $600,000.

Project funding: staff said the project budget was $536,000, combining roughly $300,000 in grant funding and $200,000 from REIT, and that about $80,000 had been spent on soft costs (design and permitting). After selecting the base bid plus alternate 2 to meet grant requirements, staff reported about $27,000 in contingency remaining (roughly 6 percent).

The nut graf: Public Works recommended awarding the base bid plus alternate 2 to Liberty Concrete, relying on grant and county funds; staff said the lower-than-expected bid amounts and completed geotechnical work reduced the risk of unexpected cost increases.

Ending: staff requested authority to execute the award; commissioners asked clarifying questions about alternates and contingencies and were informed the department would proceed with the recommended award and return required administrative documentation.