Tacoma Bid Watch: Foss Waterway Esplanade, building demolition, and arts funding

The Tacoma Daily Index often publishes the City of Tacoma’s calls for bids asking contractors to meet the City’s needs on a range of supplies, services, and projects. Here is a short-list of some recent and notable calls for bids issued from Tacoma City Hall.

First, the City of Tacoma is accepting bids for a public works project involving the second phase of the Thea Foss Waterway Site 11 Esplanade, according to a legal notice published this week in the Tacoma Daily Index. The project calls for the construction of a 300-foot-long concrete esplanade with lighting, railing, and park benches. The project will also install 17 new piles to support the new esplanade. Bids will be received until 11 a.m. on Tues., Jan. 13, 2015. A pre-bid meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 30, at the Foss Harbor Marina, located at 821 Dock St., in downtown Tacoma. The project budget is estimated at $1.3 million to $1.4 million. More information is available online here and here.

Second, the City has awarded a contract to demolish a former apartment building located at 1313-1/2 Fawcett Ave. The City issued a call for contractors to bid on the project last month (see “Dangerous Domains: A conversation with Tacoma building inspector Dan McConaughy,” Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 17, 2014). The bid deadline expired at 11 a.m. on Fri., Nov. 21. The project budget was estimated at $21,000. According to information on the City’s Web site, one contractor bid on the project — Wm. Dickson Co. (Tacoma, Wash. — $19,400) — and the contract was awarded to Wm. Dickson Co. on Tues., Dec. 2.

1313-1/2 Fawcett Avenue. (PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF TACOMA)

A building at 1313-1/2 Fawcett Ave. slated for demolition. (PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF TACOMA)

Third, following up on an item reported earlier in the Tacoma Daily Index (see “Tacoma Bid Watch: Ammo, rifles, and climate change study,” Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 2, 2014), a contract has been awarded for a public works project to replace a handrail on the north side of South 11th Street between A Street and the Murray Morgan Bridge. Bid documents prepared by City staff show the small works project involves removing the existing metal handrail, guardrail, and associated supports and bracing; patching the existing concrete structural walkway; and installing new galvanized metal guardrails and handrails. The project budget was estimated between $30,000 and $40,000. The bid deadline expired at 11 a.m. on Thurs., Dec. 11. According to information on the City’s Web site, four contractors submitted bids — Bare Ornamental Iron (Tacoma, Wash. — $29,226.30); General Mechanical, Inc. (Tacoma, Wash. — $38,990); Nordic Construction, Inc. (Tacoma, Wash. — $55,449); and Coultas General Contracting (Poulsbo, Wash. — $85,381.91) — and a contract was awarded to Bare Ornamental on Weds., Dec. 17.

Fourth, as reported earlier this month in the Tacoma Daily Index (see “Tacoma Arts Commission: Applications available for Arts Anchor Fund grants,” Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 22, 2014), the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Arts Commission are accepting applications for the 2015-16 Arts Anchor Fund, a biennial program that directs funding toward some of Tacoma’s largest community-based arts organizations in order to provide a variety of cultural services throughout the community. Organizations selected for funding will be contracted for $20,000 to $40,000 for the two-year term. The deadline for applications expires on Mon., Jan. 26, 2015, at 3 p.m. More information is available online here. Similarly, as reported earlier this month in the Tacoma Daily Index (see “TAIP Grants: $40K available for Tacoma artists,” Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 2, 2014), the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Arts Commission are accepting applications for the 2015-16 Tacoma Artists Initiative Program (TAIP), a program that directs funding toward Tacoma artists who wish to create new artwork and present that work through a free public component. The Tacoma Arts Commission has allocated $40,000 for TAIP funding, and each selected artist will be awarded $2,500. The deadline for applications expires at 5 p.m. on Mon., Jan. 26, 2015. More information is available online at cityoftacoma.org/funding.

Finally, looking ahead, the deadline to bid on a climate change risk and vulnerability assessment is scheduled to expire at 11 a.m. on Tues., Dec. 30 (see “Tacoma Bid Watch: Ammo, rifles, and climate change study,” Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 2, 2014). According to a legal notice published last month in the Tacoma Daily Index, as well as bid documents prepared by City staff, the report aims to provide a framework for potential detailed mitigation studies for highly vulnerable infrastructure, operations, critical areas, and natural systems. The final report is expected to be completed in August 2015. The budget is estimated at $55,000. More information is available online here and here. ***UPDATE | Tues., Dec. 30 @ 1:10 p.m. — According to information on the City’s Web site, three contractors submitted bids: CH2M Hill, Inc. (Bellevue, Wash.); Cascadia Consulting Group, Inc. (Seattle, Wash.); and Ecology and Environment, Inc. (Seattle, Wash.).