Palouse selects Brownfields excavators

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Aug 23, 20120

The bid process is complete and the Palouse Brownfields project will move to the excavation stage later this month.

The Palouse city council Aug. 14 approved a bid of $436,867.68 from the firm of P.S.C. Burlington of Kent.

The one-fourth acre environmental cleanup project is on the site of a former gas station and fertilizer producers operation.

At the Palouse city council meeting last Tuesday, the council participated in a conference call with Michael Stringer, project manager from engineers Maul Foster Alongi.

Stringer noted that six bids were received. Bidders were asked to provide references to their experience in lead abatement, which is the nature of the Palouse project.

The low bidder, Engineering Remediation Resources Group of Spokane, did not provide this information with their bid at $420,273, and thus was disqualified.

The P.S.C. bid was the second lowest.

“I’m really excited,” said Mayor Michael Echanove. “This project’s gonna be well on the way, if not complete, by September.”

The bid award followed a job walk-through July 17. Thirteen contractors came to observe the site.

“We were really excited to see that there was so much interest in the project,” said Stringer. “To have 13 contractors come out and to get six bids, that’s a good, competitive environment.”

Maul Foster Alongi estimated the bids would come in at $450,000. All told, half were above that, and half were below.

Maul Foster Alongi will monitor the excavation project along with representatives from the Washington Department of Ecology.

Mayor Echanove said a construction meeting is set for next week and the excavation should begin in two weeks.

The four-year old project is funded by a combination of 2009 federal stimulus funds and grants from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Department of Commerce.

“I think it’s important to note that this is a big milestone for the city to have this underway,” said Stringer.