Dozens submit bids for public safety building at airport
The crowd overflowed a tiny conference room Wednesday in the Washington County Purchasing Department for bid openings that ranged from flags and markers for veterans’ graves to milk for special events and the jail food service.
But the real draw was a pair of projects that have been discussed for quite some time, the building of a Public Safety Department garage and secondary command post at Washington County Airport; and pedestrian bridge replacement connecting the fairgrounds to the parking lot along Old Hickory Ridge Road, Chartiers Township.
William McGowen, executive director of Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the airport, had just an hour earlier been discussing drainage around the public safety site with the Washington County commissioners, who entered into a storm sewer easement with Robert J. and Denise M. Champe along Airport Road.
The metal building will house public safety vehicles, but as a backup command center with restrooms, it will be more than a garage.
Forty-five bids related to the airport project were submitted before the 11 a.m. deadline, including those for general contracting; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; plumbing; fire protection; and electrical work.
The pedestrian bridge replacement at the fairgrounds is the first phase of the entrance project. Phase two is renovation of the trolley stop and tracks from the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.
Lisa Cessna, executive director of Washington County Planning Commission, which oversees the fairgrounds, said the commission is awaiting a permit for the second phase of the project from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
“We’re anticipating bidding that in maybe April or early summer,” she said. “The bridge must be completed by June 30 and the phase two notice to proceed won’t be issued until after the fair.” The annual Washington County Fair and Expo takes place in mid-August.
Five bids were submitted for the bridge project.
The purchasing department was reviewing the bid amounts as of Wednesday afternoon.