TRINIDAD — Two Denver companies vied for the contract to build offices for the Department of Human Services at Fort Wooton across the street from the courthouse. Coda Construction bid $661,890 and Maxwell Builders bid $506,136, a difference of $155,751, for the project. In Tuesday’s regular county commission meeting, commissioners and the administrator asked about the bid discrepancy in a phone call to project manager Ryan Philips of Vertex, an engineering company. Philips said such discrepancies are normal on a project such as Fort Wooton. “There are certain nuances involved in the bidding, such as staff pay that may cause the discrepancy,” Philips said. The commissioners, on a 3-0 vote, awarded the contract to Maxwell Builders. The commissioners were hesitant to award the contract at first because there was no estimated time of completion attached to any of the correspondence. However, Philips indicated during the phone call that the project would take about 12 to 14 weeks to complete once it got started. “The builders can work on the project during the winter months because it’s an inside project,” county administrator Leanne Fabec explained. Moving ahead on the agenda, Fabec said in her adminstration report, “Things are progressing well at the airport.” Geo-technical studies began on Monday, October 5, with GeoCal drilling 40 foot holes for soil testing. The soil survey and aerial geographic information systems (GIS) mapping are covered by a $156,000 grant awarded to the county by the FAA in September. The commission approved, with a 3-0 vote, a contract resolution with the Colorado Department of Transportation for an $8,300 grant to be used as a matching fund for the FAA grant covering the first phase of the airport repair. The county
will also put in $8,300 as part of their match on the grant. Other activity at the airport involved the repair of a hanger door that was blown out of its track from high wind gusts last week. The commissioners also looked at a quote from Triad Computer Services for the installation and management of an antivirus program for the county’s computer system, at a rate of $20 per computer. There were questions about compatibility with other antivirus programs already in use. A phone call to Triad during the meeting allowed the commissioners to voice their concerns. They then approved the charges for the antivirus with a 3-0 vote. Based on the recommendation of road and bridge supervisor Phil Dorenkamp, the commissioners unanimously approved a contract to purchase 1,700 gallons of diesel fuel for use at the fair grounds. Alta Fuels bid $1.82 per gallon for a total of $13,104 for the contract. The commissioners went into executive session at 10:30 am.
