PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles City Council is expected to reject today the only bid it received for the Ranney well roof replacement.

The $177,332 bid from Spokane Roofing Co. LLC was more than double the $83,718 engineer’s estimate.

City staff recommended that the council reject the bid as part of its consent agenda today. The business meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.

“The single high bid is attributed to a lack of availability during the summer season for contractors to perform this specialized work,” Director of Public Works and Utilities Thomas Hunter said in a memo to the council.

“This work will be re-bid at a later date.”

The city’s municipal water comes from the 60-foot-deep Ranney well groundwater collector near the Elwha River.

The project will replace original roofing that was installed during construction in 1977, Hunter said.

“The roof on the Ranney well and support buildings is failing and has exceeded expected life,” Hunter said in his memo.

“Water is leaking, potentially causing damage to the structure and equipment.

“This project will remove the existing roof material, install thermoplastic roofing membrane and [water-diverting] crickets for positive drainage,” Hunter added.

The city has $90,000 available for the Ranney well roof replacement project in its 2019 budget.

Bids were solicited June 14 using Municipal Research and Services Center rosters.

The North Peninsula Building Association was notified and a bid announcement was posted to the city’s website, Hunter said.

Last year, the city reached a settlement with the National Park Service over the operation of the Elwha Water Facilities.

The Elwha Water Facilities include a treatment plant, surface water intake, temporary pump diversion facility and other infrastructure that provides industrial water, hatchery water and a back-up supply of potable water for city customers.

The city agreed to own and operate the NPS-built infrastructure in exchange for $6.65 million, ending a two-year impasse over the Elwha Water Facilities in the wake of the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.