Montrose firm painting chamber building because it was lowest bid

Town can relook at local preference

It has not gone unnoticed that a Montrose painting firm is doing the new painting work on the Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center at the Four-way Stop in Crested Butte. This has caused some discussion among the general public and among the members of the Town Council.

The building is owned by the town of Crested Butte. The project was put out to bid, with the Montrose firm being the lowest qualified bidder.
Several concerns from local businesses were voiced to members of the Town Council over the fact that a local business was not awarded the job. Only one Crested Butte business submitted a bid.
According to a memo from Crested Butte Building and Zoning Director Bob Gillie, normal procedures were followed in advertising specifications and deadlines for the bids, resulting in three submissions. “One bid came from Crested Butte (Complete Coverage—$14,460); one from Gunnison (Fresh Oso—$9,595); and one from Montrose (Kevin Murray—$11,600),” the memo relates. “The low bid from Fresh Oso was disqualified because it did not abide by the specification, which called for two coats of paint. After checking qualifications, the bid was awarded to the next low bidder, Kevin Murray.”
Gillie also reminded the council, “with regard to local preference, we had this discussion with the Town Council over a year ago and it was decided to not institute a local preference for various reasons, including wise use of public funds, the effects on competitive bidding, and requirements imposed on the use of funds by state and federal entities if applicable. Certainly if the council wishes to re-open this discussion that is the council’s option.”
The painting work is expected to be done this week.