PORT ANGELES — After a Clallam County commissioner objected to the hiring of an out-of-town contractor to build a small project west of Port Angeles, a company official said Interwest Construction Inc. has local employees.
Commissioners Jim McEntire and Bill Peach voted Tuesday to award a $144,444 bid to Interwest Construction to build an interpretive center overlooking the Elwha River at Lower Dam Road.
Interwest is based in the Skagit County city of Burlington. Three Clallam County-based contractors also submitted proposals.
A $145,880 bid from Hoch Construction of Port Angeles was close enough to the winning bid to prompt Commissioner Mike Chapman to cast a dissenting vote on the hiring of the Burlington-based contractor.
Chapman asked his fellow commissioners to postpone the bid award, saying he was “drawing a line in the sand” on behalf of local contractors who are struggling to find work.
After reading comments attributed to Chapman about the need to support local jobs, Interwest Construction project foreman Bob Reick told the Peninsula Daily News that the company has about 10 employees who live in Clallam County.
“Everybody who works on the Olympic Peninsula for Interwest Construction is a Clallam County resident,” Reick said.
“I’ve lived here for over 20 years — born and raised on the Peninsula.”
Interwest has built a segment of the Olympic Discovery Trail at Lake Crescent and a waterline project for the city of Sequim, Reick said.
Its Clallam County crew is subcontracting for construction of the 33,000-square-foot Sequim Civic Center, he added.
Interwest Construction officials in Burlington confirmed that the company has a crew in Clallam County.
State law requires that counties award public works contacts to the lowest responsible bidder.
Before awarding the contract to the low bidder Tuesday, McEntire and Peach asked for a legal briefing on the board’s flexibility to award future contracts to local companies when competing bids are close.
McEntire framed his request by saying he had “great respect” for the market dynamic in competitive bidding.
The interpretive center will be a wooden structure enclosing a multipanel kiosk with information about the history of the Elwha River and its $325 million dam removal and restoration.
Reick said it was “kind of shocking” to read Chapman’s comments. He said he planned to speak with the commissioner about Interwest Construction’s local workers.
“I’m not mad at Commissioner Chapman,” Reick added.
“He was looking out for the best interest of our community. I think that’s great.”
The fact that Interwest has employees in Clallam County is “definitely a positive,” Chapman said Wednesday.
Chapman maintained that the company does not keep an office in Clallam County, so the sales tax leaves the area.
“The profit goes back to where the parent company is,” he said.
“I think there’s a big difference between hiring local subs and having a business in the community.”
Chapman said he was surprised his fellow commissioners would not postpone the bid award for at least a week to verify the proposals.
As commissioners debate economic development — they will consider making a $150,000 payment to the Economic Development Council for staff March 24 — Chapman said he has become frustrated with a lack of family-wage jobs in Clallam County.
“It’s March, and there’s not much work out there,” be said.
“I’m just hearing from too many people that are hurting that just don’t feel like the government is helping.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
