Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — Another item on the to-do list for rebuilding Saxon Harbor was accomplished Tuesday as the Iron County Board of Supervisors awarded the county’s dredging contract to M. Jolma Inc.
The Ashland-based company was the lowest of six bidders vying for the project, submitting a bid of $220,542.
“We had three bids below the engineers’ estimate (of $253,909), and three that were substantially above,” Iron County Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson said.
He told the board the county’s engineering firm for the Saxon Harbor project, Foth Engineering, reviewed the bids and recommended the county go with M. Jolma.
The project will involve removing debris and sediment from Oronto Creek between the marina’s boat lift and Parker Creek, as well as Parker Creek from the confluence with Oronto to Lake Superior. The work is necessary to restore the flow of the creeks to their condition before the July 11, 2016 storm that flooded the harbor and destroyed the marina and campground.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be responsible for dredging Oronto Creek from above the County A bridge being built to the boat lift as part of its rebuilding project at the harbor.
The price submitted in the company’s bid is a not-to-exceed amount, according to Peterson.
“The Foth team will send the surveyors out to survey the area ahead of time and get elevations of everything.The contractor will come out and do all of his work within the limits of the contract, and then when he says, ‘OK, I’m done;’ the surveyors go back out and survey it again,” Peterson said. “What Jolma will get paid on is what the actually removals were.”
The project will also involve Angelo Luppino Construction, of Iron Belt, Wis., as a subcontractor, according to Peterson.
“Most of the hauling activity for this project is going to be done by Luppino. Luppino is their listed subcontractor,” he said.
Tuesday’s contract also includes work rebuilding the bank of Parker’s Creek near the harbor’s east parking lot, which washed away during the storm. The county is still working with the Department of Natural Resources to determine the amount of riprap to be put in place along the creeks, and Peterson hopes for an answer next week.
With the contract awarded, Peterson said the paperwork just needs to be finalized and work at the harbor could begin as early as next week.
The stream’s flow must be re-established by May 29, Peterson said, with the entire project completed by June 29.
The county board also approved a land swap at the harbor. Under the agreement, the county will transfer one acre of land at the southwest corner of the park — near the former campground site — to Henry, Noreen and Susan Gilbertson in exchange for approximately .41 acres at the harbor. The land the county is getting in the exchange is necessary as the footprint of the new bridge over Oronto Creek requires part of the land.
“It’s wetlands. It’s hillside. We can’t do anything with it,” Peterson said, regarding the land the county is giving up. “It’s a good opportunity for the county to make the trade to make the deal happen.”
