Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs-based building contractor Holmquist Lorenz Construction Co. could begin work on the terminal expansion at Yampa Valley Regional Airport as soon as Aug. 2.

YVRA Manager Dave Rup­pel confirmed Wednesday that Holmquist Lorenz was the low bidder on the project and that a $6.82 million contract for the two-year project was signed Monday. Federal grants will cover $5 million of the cost, with the balance coming from Routt County funds, Ruppel said. Airport revenues are expected to cover that remaining $1.8 million.

Routt County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush said the county was required by law to accept the lowest qualified bid for the federally funded project but that she was happy to see it go to a local firm.

“We can’t say, ‘We’ll only accept bids from local contractors.’ That’s illegal,” she said. “But I was very pleased to see who it was. That money will turn over locally and (many businesses) will benefit from the multiplier effect.”

Travis Holmquist said that based on previous jobs, as many as 150 people will have full-time employment of varying terms at the airport terminal job. When construction supply companies are taken into account, resulting employment is probably a bigger number, he said.

“It’s a big plus for us,” Holmquist said. “Economically, it doesn’t fix everything for us, but in terms of overhead and employment, we know what we’ll be doing for the next 18 months.”

County Manager Tom Sull­ivan said the Holmquist Lorenz bid was among four from general contractors, with numerous subcontractors making proposals to the generals. Holmquist Lorenz came in $60,000 higher than the estimate prepared by a consulting engineering firm, and the next highest bid was $60,000 more than Holmquist Lorenz’s bid, Sullivan added.

The portions of the terminal expansion that will be most noticed by the traveling public will be the addition of a second baggage carousel and a new ground-floor restaurant. But travelers will have to wait for the 2011-12 ski season to enjoy those facilities.

Because of delays in receiving federal approval to start the bid process and award the contract, Ruppel said the bulk of the work will take place summer and fall 2011.

The 2010 portion of the project, he said, will include the creation of expanded public areas and the space for the restaurant plus future second-story office space. It’s possible, he said, that construction this fall could include replacement of an elevator and installation of some of the restaurant fixtures.

Sullivan said Holmquist Lorenz was the general contractor for the recent courthouse remodel and the working relationship with the county was strong. Holmquist Lorenz served as the general contractor on two other notable projects in 2009 and 2010 — the new Millennium Bank building in Wildhorse Marketplace and the Holiday Inn Steamboat Springs expansion.