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ENLARGE
The Downtown Uplift Phase One, set to begin Jan. 4, will encompass new sidewalks, planters, landscape and more. A decision on which construction firm gets the contract will be considered Wednesday night at the Grand Junction City Council meeting.
Meeting tonight
A presentation regarding the construction contract for the Downtown Uplift Phase One will be the final agenda item at tonight's (Wednesday) city council meeting starting at 7 p.m. at Grand Junction City Hall, 250 N. Fifth St.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A large billboard advertisement out by the Redlands encourages people to shop downtown.
Some local construction workers say the shop local appeal should go toward the use of their services as well.
The Downtown Development Authority and Grand Junction's Public Works and Planning will recommend at tonight's city council meeting that the city award phase one of the Main Street renovation contract to FCI Constructors.
FCI's low bid of $2,309,841 came far below the city's estimated budget allowance of $3.5 million. The second lowest bid was Sorter Construction at $2,389,705. Both are longtime local companies with experience performing city work.
“We had two very good bids, and two really good contractors,” said Public Works and Planning Director Tim Moore, who worked closely with the DDA in making the contractor recommendation.
Sorter's bid, which was nearly $80,000 more than FCI's, was based on using 100 percent local suppliers and subcontractors.
FCI included in their bid a landscaper from Las Vegas, and a Front Range pipe layer.
“We told (the DDA) that 18 percent of this job would be performed by contractors outside the Grand Junction area according to the FCI bid,” Moore said.
“The question to city council will be is the 80-20 split appropriate?”
Billy Foster doesn't think so.
Foster works for Adcock Concrete, a company that often works in partnership with Sorter Construction.
“The city is asking us to shop locally but they're not doing it themselves,” Foster said. “For every person working here from (the Front Range) or Las Vegas, there's one person living here who's not working.”
Rebuilding Main Street could have been a winter job for a lot of local people, Foster said.
Main Street's restoration (the third phase of the DDA's Downtown Uplift project) will include new lighting, some electrical work, storm sewers, and new plants, streets and sidewalks. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase one construction will take place from Jan. 4 through June 9, 2010, and will cover Main street from First through Fourth streets.
New bids will be sought for phase two in the fall of 2010, with construction to begin January 2011.
The DDA weighed the advantages of putting local people to work versus the boost to hotel and restaurants that out-of-town workers would provide, Moore said.
Lacking a stipulation requiring all work be done by locals, DDA Executive Director Heidi Hoffman, said it was necessary to go with the lowest bidder who was also qualified.
“Even in places where there is a local preference it doesn't necessarily dictate that subcontractors be local,” Hoffman said.
Some local construction workers say the shop local appeal should go toward the use of their services as well.
The Downtown Development Authority and Grand Junction's Public Works and Planning will recommend at tonight's city council meeting that the city award phase one of the Main Street renovation contract to FCI Constructors.
FCI's low bid of $2,309,841 came far below the city's estimated budget allowance of $3.5 million. The second lowest bid was Sorter Construction at $2,389,705. Both are longtime local companies with experience performing city work.
“We had two very good bids, and two really good contractors,” said Public Works and Planning Director Tim Moore, who worked closely with the DDA in making the contractor recommendation.
Sorter's bid, which was nearly $80,000 more than FCI's, was based on using 100 percent local suppliers and subcontractors.
FCI included in their bid a landscaper from Las Vegas, and a Front Range pipe layer.
“We told (the DDA) that 18 percent of this job would be performed by contractors outside the Grand Junction area according to the FCI bid,” Moore said.
“The question to city council will be is the 80-20 split appropriate?”
Billy Foster doesn't think so.
Foster works for Adcock Concrete, a company that often works in partnership with Sorter Construction.
“The city is asking us to shop locally but they're not doing it themselves,” Foster said. “For every person working here from (the Front Range) or Las Vegas, there's one person living here who's not working.”
Rebuilding Main Street could have been a winter job for a lot of local people, Foster said.
Main Street's restoration (the third phase of the DDA's Downtown Uplift project) will include new lighting, some electrical work, storm sewers, and new plants, streets and sidewalks. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase one construction will take place from Jan. 4 through June 9, 2010, and will cover Main street from First through Fourth streets.
New bids will be sought for phase two in the fall of 2010, with construction to begin January 2011.
The DDA weighed the advantages of putting local people to work versus the boost to hotel and restaurants that out-of-town workers would provide, Moore said.
Lacking a stipulation requiring all work be done by locals, DDA Executive Director Heidi Hoffman, said it was necessary to go with the lowest bidder who was also qualified.
“Even in places where there is a local preference it doesn't necessarily dictate that subcontractors be local,” Hoffman said.
Still, Foster said he finds it ironic the city is not requiring contractors to hire local workers to fix up Main Street.
At the Mesa County Workforce Center there are currently 1,930 individuals registered as construction workers, and five construction jobs posted, said workforce center director Sue Tuffin.
FCI president Ed Forsman said they listed Las Vegas and Front Range subcontractors in their proposal because those bids were low. But they could change subcontractors after they receive their contract, and the company has an opportunity to further check those bids, Forsman said.
“Anybody in the U.S. could bid on this job,” Forsman said. “We're concerned (about local workers) but we're also concerned about getting the best price to the city.”
Several U.S. towns give preference to local contractors bidding on city projects. Communities that have opted for the local preference include Montrose, Durango, and the states of Wyoming and New Mexico.
“I'd be fine with that,” Forsman said. “If the city has a special requirement to use local contractors, that's fine — if you can find a definition of local that everyone agrees on.”
If every contractor was obligated to hire local contractors it would level the playing field, Forsman said.
City council considered the local preference option twice in the past year, but rejected the idea in favor of having more flexibility, Moore said.
The city chose to look at each bid on a case-by-case basis, Moore said.
Gregg Palmer owns a Main Street business and is also a city council member — he'll be at the council meeting tonight.
“We would like to use local people but we can't require them to,” Palmer said regarding FCI's possible use of out-of-town subcontractors.
“The best value for taxpayers — that's my bottom line,” Palmer said.
The majority of the project — $2,157,000 — will be paid for by the DDA, which gets its funding from downtown commercial property owner taxes.
The cost of the water line replacements — $152,360 — will be paid by the city.
FCI is a 31-year-old company with headquarters in Grand Junction. It is an employee-owned company with offices in Phoenix, Longmont, Durango, Cheyenne, Wyoming and Aztec, N.M.
Sorter Construction is owned by Bill Ogle. Sorter was founded in Grand Junction 56 years ago by Ogle's father-in-law.
Ogle would like to see the city change the way it approves bids by adopting a local preference policy.
“How much money (is the city) going to make sending $500,000 (his estimate of the money that will be paid to out-of-towners) to save $80,000?” Ogle asked.
“So we're going to have 20 guys sitting unemployed to bring 20 from out-of-town. I don't see how you can justify that.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
At the Mesa County Workforce Center there are currently 1,930 individuals registered as construction workers, and five construction jobs posted, said workforce center director Sue Tuffin.
FCI president Ed Forsman said they listed Las Vegas and Front Range subcontractors in their proposal because those bids were low. But they could change subcontractors after they receive their contract, and the company has an opportunity to further check those bids, Forsman said.
“Anybody in the U.S. could bid on this job,” Forsman said. “We're concerned (about local workers) but we're also concerned about getting the best price to the city.”
Several U.S. towns give preference to local contractors bidding on city projects. Communities that have opted for the local preference include Montrose, Durango, and the states of Wyoming and New Mexico.
“I'd be fine with that,” Forsman said. “If the city has a special requirement to use local contractors, that's fine — if you can find a definition of local that everyone agrees on.”
If every contractor was obligated to hire local contractors it would level the playing field, Forsman said.
City council considered the local preference option twice in the past year, but rejected the idea in favor of having more flexibility, Moore said.
The city chose to look at each bid on a case-by-case basis, Moore said.
Gregg Palmer owns a Main Street business and is also a city council member — he'll be at the council meeting tonight.
“We would like to use local people but we can't require them to,” Palmer said regarding FCI's possible use of out-of-town subcontractors.
“The best value for taxpayers — that's my bottom line,” Palmer said.
The majority of the project — $2,157,000 — will be paid for by the DDA, which gets its funding from downtown commercial property owner taxes.
The cost of the water line replacements — $152,360 — will be paid by the city.
FCI is a 31-year-old company with headquarters in Grand Junction. It is an employee-owned company with offices in Phoenix, Longmont, Durango, Cheyenne, Wyoming and Aztec, N.M.
Sorter Construction is owned by Bill Ogle. Sorter was founded in Grand Junction 56 years ago by Ogle's father-in-law.
Ogle would like to see the city change the way it approves bids by adopting a local preference policy.
“How much money (is the city) going to make sending $500,000 (his estimate of the money that will be paid to out-of-towners) to save $80,000?” Ogle asked.
“So we're going to have 20 guys sitting unemployed to bring 20 from out-of-town. I don't see how you can justify that.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
