Cuts crimp contractors
A list of the biggest public contracts based on the 2009-10 biennium budget, including the name of the company, the responsible government agency and a brief description of the services.
1. Nutter Corporation $19.5 million
Agency: Clark County.
Vancouver’s Nutter Corp. earned $13.8 million for widening Northeast St. Johns Road from 50th to 72nd avenues from a two-lane to a five-lane road and $5.7 million for realigning the intersection at Northeast Ward Road and 172nd Avenue.
2. Bonneville Conservation
Restoration and Renewal Team, $16 million
Agency: Clark County.
The county manages the contract for the cleanup of Camp Bonneville, the 3,840-acre east county former artillery range, but the money comes from the U.S. Army so all federal taxpayers share the burden of cleaning up old munitions in order to turn the property into a regional park. The county is trying to get out of its contract with BCRRT, a California nonprofit, and is renegotiating its agreement with the Army.
3. Pease & Sons Inc. $15.4 million
Agency: Clark County.
The county awarded the Tacoma company the contract to build a sewage pumping station near Klineline Pond.
4. Stellar J. Corporation $15.3 million
Agency: Clark County.
The Vancouver company was awarded the construction contract for expansion of the Salmon Creek wastewater plant.
5. Columbia River Mental Health Services $14.3 million
Agency: Clark County.
The Vancouver nonprofit agency helps the mentally ill, addicts, homeless people and veterans. It recently lost a share of county work after losing a bid to Telecare, a for-profit California company. Telecare will take over the operation of Hotel Hope, a 12-bed inpatient facility.
6. Tapani Underground $12.8 million
Agency: Clark County.
Battle Ground’s Tapani earned $6.7 million for widening Northeast 72nd Avenue from Northeast 88th Street to St. Johns Road from a two-lane to a five-lane road and earned $6.1 million for widening Northeast 88th Street from St. Johns Road to Northeast Andresen Road by adding a center turn lane, bicycle lanes and sidewalks.
7. McClure and Sons Inc. $11.9 million
Agency: City of Camas
The City of Camas awarded a $11.9 million contract in February to Mill Creek, Wash.-based McClure and Sons, Inc. to do a comprehensive expansion and upgrade of the Camas Wastewater Treatment Facility.
8. McClure and Sons Inc. $9.7 million
Agency: City of La Center.
The Mill Creek-based company was awarded a contract to construct a comprehensive upgrade to La Center’s sewer treatment plant.
9. Veolia Water $9.3 million
Agency: City of Vancouver.
The global company, with U.S. headquarters in Houston, operates multiple facilities for the city including two wastewater treatment plants and five sewer pump stations.
10. Various defense attorneys $9 million
Agency: Clark County.
“If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.” Every criminal defendant has the right to a lawyer, and the county contracts with various local defense attorneys for indigent defense rather than operate a public defender’s office.
11. Thompson Bros. Excavating $8.4 million
Agency: Clark County.
The Vancouver company earned the money for work on Hockinson Meadows Community Park and Pacific Community Park.
12. Granite Northwest Inc. $7.5 million
Agencies: Clark County, city of Vancouver.
The Yakima-based company earned $3.1 million for overlaying 14 miles of arterial roadways as part of the county’s pavement preservation program and did $4.4 million worth of work as part of the city’s pavement management program.
13. Rotschy Inc. $6.8 million
Agencies: Clark County, city of Vancouver.
For the county, the Yacolt company widened Northeast 99th Street between Northeast 117th and 137th avenues, creating a center turn lane, bicycle lanes and sidewalks. For Vancouver, the company did $2.7 million worth of work at Water Station 9 as well as utilities improvements for the Sewer Connection Incentive Program, in which property owners pay a portion of construction costs when they connect.
14. Lifeline Connections $5.5 million
Agency: Clark County.
The nonprofit, based at the county’s Center for Community Health, provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for youths and adults, among other services. Some residents have criticized the fact County Commissioner Marc Boldt’s wife, Dawn, was hired this year to work as an office assistant in Lifeline’s private-pay unit. The county’s contract, however, dates to before Boldt became a commissioner.
15. Team Construction Group Inc. $5.4 million
Agency: City of Vancouver.
The Vancouver company built the Vancouver Police Department’s west precinct, 2800 N.E. Stapleton Road.
16. Conmed Healthcare
Management $5.2 million
Agency: Clark County.
Maryland-based Conmed was selected to provide health care services to inmates at the Clark County Jail, the work center and the juvenile detention center after the county did not renew a contract with Wexford Health Sources. Wexford was widely criticized for not dispensing medication in a timely manner to new inmates, leading to psychological problems for those who take brain-altering psychotropic medication.
17. Community Services Northwest $5 million
Agency: Clark County.
The nonprofit, based at the county’s Center for Community Health, provides mental health and addictions treatment, family and group therapy and other services.
18. Ostrander Rock & Construction $5 million
Agency: Clark County.
The Longview company did work on widening Northeast 63rd Street between Northeast Andresen Road to Interstate 205, which included adding bicycle lanes and sidewalks. The project was the first in the county’s Green Streets program, which uses rain gardens to clean stormwater from the roadway and sidewalks to reduce polluted runoff.
19. Richart Family Inc. $3.4 million
Agency: Clark County.
Using a blend of federal, state and local dollars, the county contracts with Vancouver’s Richart Family Inc. to weatherize homes for low-income families.
20. Intergraph Corp. $3.3 million
Agency: Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency.
The Alabama-based company was hired to install CRESA’s new computer-aided dispatch software.
