Officials in Wayne County say the only company to bid on a protection and stabilization project in Sodus and Huron at Crescent Beach came in too high.
Great Lakes Dock and Materials, a Michigan company, was the only bidder on the project.
There’s state money in play, but not nearly enough to cover the work.
Great Lakes Dock bid $26.4 million, which is $13 million higher than the project’s estimated cost. A $14.6 million grant was awarded to Wayne County under the Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative.
“We will not accept the one high bid,” Wayne County Public Works Superintendent Kevin Rooney told the Finger Lakes Times. “We are looking at possible alternatives to still deliver a project. We will likely need some concessions from the permitting agencies.”
Crescent Beach is a 1.5-mile strip of land that serves as a barrier between Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario. It’s suffered breaches in recent years due to high water and erosion.
Officials say the cost of granite is a major reason for the high bid. That’s what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said is necessary for the project. The granite walls will be barriers between Crescent Beach and Lake Ontario.
Inflation has driven up the cost of the rock. Officials in Wayne County say they cannot afford to make up the $13 million difference.
Now, the county will do what it can to get the project moving forward – looking at an array of options.
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