Valley County opens bids for Abstein Bridal project; three bids received

VALLEY COUNTY — At a special session called to open bids for the Abstein Bridal project, the Valley County Board of Commissioners received three bids and agreed to approve them subject to engineering and road-supervisor review, then place final award on a future agenda.

The county’s session included a public reading of three bid submissions. Jeff, a county staff member, said, “We got 3 bids.” Commissioner McFadden read the names and figures presented in the bid packets: Marita’s Facility Services and Construction (total bid listed as $1,849,777), a second bidder identified in the transcript as Granite/Branded Excavation (total bid listed as $2,105,039), and Moreno and Nelson Construction Corp. (total bid listed as $1,225,000). Commissioner McFadden noted that the bidders provided a bid bond at 10% of the bid amount.

Why it matters: the bids determine which contractor will perform the Abstein Bridal project and set the baseline construction cost the county may award. The board did not finalize an award; commissioners said bids would be approved pending technical review and returned for a final decision at a later meeting.

Details and next steps Commissioner McFadden said the board would approve the bids “pending review of our engineer, company, our road supervisor.” The board discussed but did not record a formal vote on a final contract award. Instead, McFadden moved to table the final decision to a time certain and asked staff to place the item on a future agenda. County staff and commissioners discussed scheduling that follow-up and mentioned a mid‑month weekday time (participants referenced “the 20 seventh/20 eighth” during scheduling conversation), but no final date was confirmed in the record.

Commissioner Caldwell was noted as absent because of a medical emergency; the transcript records the absence during the bid opening.

The board’s action on the day was procedural: opening and reading bids, verifying bonds and schedules in the bid packages, identifying the apparent low bid, and directing staff to obtain engineer and road-supervisor review before a final award. The board instructed staff to place the item on a future agenda for formal award and signature once reviews are complete.

Ending County staff will return with review findings and a recommended award for the Abstein Bridal project at a later meeting; the transcript does not specify an exact follow-up date or the expected timeframe for the engineering review.