City, GPIP Pin Hopes On Single Haulout Bid

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Category: News

Created on Wednesday, 22 January 2025 15:42

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By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Gary Paxton Industrial Park board is recommending that the city continue working toward an agreement with the only qualified responder to the Request for Qualifications to operate the boat haulout under construction at the park.
    Highmark Marine Fabrication LLC of Kodiak was the only qualified responder last fall to the city’s RFQ.
    “We’ve got a scope of services, tasks they’re going to do, a contract that outlines those tasks, and a fee schedule for services,” said Garry White, GPIP director, explaining what the city will expect in response to its invitation to bid.
    The RFQ invited parties to submit qualifications, and the process is moving toward inviting Highmark, based on their qualifications, to submit a bid. At their meeting last Thursday park board members reviewed the package that will go out for bids, with Highmark the only qualified bidder.
    The vote was 4-0 on a motion to recommend Assembly approval of the draft operating agreement that will be offered for bidding. It includes a proposed scope of services, with the contractor expected to provide a fee schedule. If the draft contract is approved by the Assembly at its January 28 meeting, Highmark will receive an invitation to bid.
    Construction of the $10.1 million facility is on schedule, with five of the six planned sets of piling in place, and contractor Western Marine on track to finish by March 30, the GPIP board was told.
    Highmark runs the haulout and boatyard in Kodiak, another busy fishing port, and has experience in all the services planned for Sitka’s city-owned facility, as well as acquiring the permits and licenses for running a lift and boatyard.
    The draft operating agreement that will run for five years has a list of services the city wants to see provided. Highmark is to submit its pricing on each of those items, and under the proposed contract will pay the city a certain amount based on a percentage of the gross receipts or a flat fee.
    The city is working on a business model to compare with the Highmark proposal when it’s received, showing what it would cost the city to run, City Administrator John Leach told the board.
    In other business at Thursday’s meeting the board approved a month-to-month lease of a 7,500 square foot parcel to the Sitka Sound Science Center for sorting and storing marine debris. The nonprofit will pay $253.17 a month.