County Supervisors awarded a contract to build a new communications tower in North County accepting the only bid they got for the job even though it came in over 33% above the engineer’s estimate.
Supervisors, on April 7, approved a construction contract to Rob Reynolds Construction of Creston for over $2 million to build the “Portnoff Hill Communications Tower.”
“The County has identified a need to upgrade public safety communications coverage for portions of Paso Robles, San Miguel, Templeton, and the vicinities near San Antonio and Nacimiento Lakes,” reads the staff report on the item. “While nearby existing County communication facilities provide some level of radio coverage, the addition of a new public safety communications tower at Portnoff Hill will greatly increase the coverage area thereby improving reliable communications for first responders.”
The project site sits atop Portnoff Hill on a 93.3-acre privately owned property some 3-miles west of Paso Robles. The tower site is at the end of a winding road that snakes off Adelaide Road outside Paso Robles.
The new radio tower will be 120-feet tall with radio and microwave communications equipment, according to the report. There will also be a small equipment shed, utilities, a propane generator with storage tank, and security fencing.
“When complete,” the report said, “the new tower will enhance radio reception in Northern San Luis Obispo County.
“This enhanced radio reception will directly assist the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, San Luis Obispo County Fire Department, medical responders, and other first responders with emergency responses and will support conducting other communications operations efficiently.”
The Reynolds Const. bid was the only one the County got for the job, despite the hefty costs. The engineer’s estimate was some $1.49 million and at over $2 million the bid was 33.9% above the estimate.
The County had also sought to include four additional items in the base list of tasks, but when the bid came in so high, it dropped those items, according to the report.
The project also needed Supervisors to transfer some $175,000 out of “the General Government Building Replacement Designation to supplement the project’s overall budget.”
The County also asked to allow the public works director to approve an additional $200,000 in change orders if needed, without having to come back to Supervisors.
The tower site is being leased for 30 years from the property owner.
The County had accumulated an overall project budget of over $2.55 million with $2.11M coming from a Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Service grant; and $443,000 from the General Government Building Replacement Designation “for costs unallowable by the grant.”
But the high bid means the budget has bumped up to $2.73M including the additional $175,000.
The project is included in the County’s Facilities and Infrastructure Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan covering the Fiscal Years 2024-25 through 2028-29.
The fact that just one bid was received seems surprising considering that there were a dozen people representing interested companies that attended a Jan. 14 pre-bidding site visit, according to the sign in sheet for the event.
