Council delays on city hall bids, approves annexation

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON – Who the contractor will be to build Hermiston City Hall remains unanswered. The city council has delayed a vote on awarding the bid until its Feb. 8 meeting.

“Because of a miscommunication between our architects and our engineers, they weren’t aware of the seven-day noticing period to the contractors that would give them time to contest the low bid,” Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said.

While other bidders cannot change their bids, they can challenge elements of the low bid.

The council did approve an annexation that will bring more housing to Hermiston. Morgan said that after the city allowed more small-lot home construction in its zoning code, that’s the majority of what they’ve seen being built. This annexation would be different.

“Ultimately, this developer is looking to add some larger-lot single family home construction,” Morgan said. “It’ll be a nice addition to the single-family housing stock.”

The 13.8 acres of land is at 1307 S.W. Third St.