SANDPOINT — The Priest River airport got permission to rebid construction of a snow removal equipment storage building at the site after adding the item back onto the county’s business meeting agenda following an April decision by the board not to vote on the matter. 

The snow removal equipment storage building has been a contentious discussion point since the request was brought to Bonner County commissioners during a mid-November meeting, as commissioners Asia Williams and Brian Domke voted in favor of the building’s construction and Commissioner Ron Korn opposed.  

Plans to construct the building, along with acceptance of a Federal Aviation Administration grant to cover 97.5% of the project, were approved in a 2-to-1 vote Nov. 25. The project went out for bid earlier this year, where estimates received were higher than the anticipated $650,000 project cost. Due to the higher-than-expected estimates, airport manager Dave Schuck asked the project to be sent out for a re-bid after noting that slight changes in the project's scope could significantly lower construction costs. 

“All bids were significantly higher than the engineers’ estimate. I spoke with bidders and contractors who did not bid, and we believe we will receive lower bids by increasing the bidding window, allowing contractors to firm up their pricing, changing some of the building requirements to allow more options, reducing the time between bid and award, removing contractor pricing uncertainty, and increasing the construction calendar to accommodate contractor schedules,” Schuck said.  

An action item requesting the rebid was originally brought forth to the board during an April 28 business meeting, where the board voted to reject the original bids. However, commissioners did not vote to rebid the project due to Korn feeling that the project was an inadequate use of taxpayer funds, and Domke being in favor of the project. Williams was absent from the April meeting due to recovery from surgery.  

“I still believe that most people’s snow removal equipment sits outside in the private sector, and I know as a private citizen and as a taxpayer, I don’t appreciate the fact that government always seems to have nicer stuff, and we all get to pay for it, while my snow plow equipment sits outside,” Korn said.  

During the May meeting, commissioners debated the necessity of the building once more, with Korn still opposed to the building. He said the building was not necessary to the function of the airports and viewed the storage building as a “want,” not a “need.”  

Williams and Domke had an alternate view of constructing the building, where Domke said the storage building would allow the ability to readily maintain and potentially extend the longevity of equipment.  

“I think the average citizen doesn’t have the opportunity to take advantage of grant funds, or something like this. So, because we have this opportunity, I think being able to keep our equipment undercover so that it’s ready to be deployed more quickly, and we can hopefully keep it in service for a longer duration, creates value that I don’t want to lose the opportunity to secure,” Domke said.  

Williams said it’s important for the airport director to seek grants that would help maintain the airport, as required by the county when they agree to have an airport. 

“There’s a misunderstanding in the community about how airports work and why Director Schuck ... goes out and seeks the grants to help so that Bonner County residents aren’t paying for it,” Williams said. “Grant money comes from people that use the airlines, and that’s what it is, and the airport has been a financial benefit to Bonner County, bringing in business.” 

The project was approved to be rebid and will include the construction of an approximately 2,000-square-foot building to house snow removal equipment at the Priest River airport, according to a memorandum submitted to the board.