Serving the High Plains

Four bid for Sands Dorsey demolition

Thomas Garcia

QCS Senior Writer

Four bids were submitted and accepted by the City of Tucumcari on Thursday for the demolition of the Sands Dorsey building with the lowest bid coming from Coronado Wrecking and Salvage Co. Inc. of Albuquerque.

Coronado bid of $191,246.11 for the demolition and removal of waste of the Sands Dorsey building, which has been standing in ruin since being gutted by a fire in 2007 and damaged further by a fire in 2012.

“I want to commend the city manager, staff and the commissioners for their efforts in addressing the Sands Dorsey issue,” said C.J. Wiegel, resident and business owner.

Wiegel said the Sands Dorsey building has been an eyesore and hindrance to the Tucumcari residents and downtown businesses owners.

The bids will be reviewed to make sure all the bid documents are correct and the company has met the requirements to complete this job, said Donzlynn Worthington, of Forsgren Engineering of Albuquerque.

Worthington said Forsgren Engineering should have a recommendation for a bid award back to the city by next week. She said the recommendation should be submitted in time to have it placed on the June 25 City Commission meeting agenda.

This places the city even closer to resolving the long-standing issue with the Sands Dorsey building, said City Manager Jared Langenegger.

Langenegger said after the bid is awarded, the final demolition plan will be submitted to the New Mexico Environment Department's Solid Waste Division for final approval. He said the city does not foresee any issues with the plan being accepted; he said the Sands Dorsey building site could be cleared by September.

Constructed in 1917, the Sands Dorsey building had been a landmark in downtown Tucumcari. Though the building was vacant when it burned, the debris from the 2007 and 2012 fires left asbestos-contaminated waste, creating additional cost in the planning of the building demolition. The state would require transporting of the waste from the demolition to a certified landfill as far away as Hobbs, 200 miles away, or Mountainair, 164 miles away.

City officials had made efforts in previous years to clear the site, but did not have adequate funding for the building's required disposal in the general funds, according to city officials. The city began looking into grant funds to assist in the cost of the waste transportation.

Although Langenegger said earlier this year that the disposal cost has been reduced with the recent opening of the waste landfill in Clovis that can accommodate asbestos-contaminated materials .

Other bids submitted for the Sands Dorsey demolition:

• GranCor Enterprises, Inc., Albuquerque, $237,379.01

• Keers, Albuquerque, $251,755.11

• GWC Construction, Inc., Albuquerque, $ 2971708.89