Staff Writer
The good news is the federal government will pick up the tab for repairs to the docks of the St. Johns River Ferry up to $3 million. The bad news is the ferry will be out of service 2-3 weeks for the repairs in the fall.
The Jacksonville Port Authority Board of Directors met Friday to address approval of a request for design-build proposals for gantry systems on the docks of the St. Johns River Ferry and to award a contract to upgrade the sprinkler system at a warehouse at the Blount Island Marine Terminal.
The gantry system is the mechanism that lifts the metal ramp to the ferry to load vehicles. The current systems are over 60 years old and the Port Authority expects to increase the efficiency of the ferry by replacing the older equipment.
“The new machinery will require less maintenance and that would result in less down time,” said Chris Kauffmann, chief operating officer. “The good thing about this project is that it will be covered by federal dollars.”
The Port Authority previously advertised a request for qualifications for the project and identified four companies that it plans to request design-build proposals from: Hal Jones Contractor, EHM and TranSystems Corp., Kiewit Southeast and Superior Construction Co.
Hal Jones Contractor is located on Talleyrand Avenue and was founded in 1997. EHM and TranSystems Corp. is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., and has an office in Jacksonville on Salisbury Road. Kiewit operates its Southeast offices in Atlanta, Miami and Tampa. Superior Construction Co. was founded in Gary, Ind., in 1938 and is currently operating in the Midwest and Southeast regions.
The board unanimously approved the recommendation that Kauffmann send requests for proposals for the design-build project to the four companies. The low bidder will be revealed in September.
The board also reviewed the recommendation for a contract to upgrade a sprinkler system at a warehouse at the Blount Island Marine Terminal. The warehouse is being used to store eucalyptus pulp from Brazil, Kauffmann said, and a regular inspection in 2009 revealed that the sprinkler system was not adequate.
Four companies submitted bids for the project and it was awarded to W.W. Gay Fire and Integrated Systems at a cost of $277,687. The project was included in the budget, so it is not an unexpected expenditure.
While W.W. Gay may not have been the lowest bidder, the company did meet all of the bid package requirements. Bidder Bender & Modlin Fire Sprinkler Inc. submitted a proposal that would have the system upgraded for $219,892, but it added exceptions to the bid form and was designated a nonconforming bid, which eliminated it from consideration. Wiginton Fire Systems submitted a bid of $257,676, but did not include a financial statement and added exceptions to the bid form, according to the Port Authority.
In other Port Authority news, board Chair David Kulik inquired about a $300,000 overage in the dredging budget during July. Chief Financial Officer Michael Poole explained that the dredging in the channel had caused some buildup in the berths at the Talleyrand terminal. The berths also had to be dredged to 40 feet to match the channel depth.
“We have some time before the end of the fiscal year and we are hoping it will balance out,” said Poole.
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