Flathead announces contract work

Federal stimulus dollars should mean work for contractors as the Flathead National Forest has about $13.3 million in projects on tap. The work is expected to begin this fall on some projects and into 2010 and 2011.

The work includes a host of road reconstruction and rehabilitation projects as well as bridges and work on campgrounds.

Projects of local interest include improvements at the Doris Point Boat Launch and the Doris campground on the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

Other local projects include:

• Gravel resurfacing on Eastside and Westside Hungry Horse Reservoir Roads, and Tally Lake Road (Forest Roads #38, #895 and #913), and asphalt replacement on the first 11 miles of the Westside Road; and asphalt treatments, including overlay/replacement and culvert replacement on Griffin Creek Road, Forest Road #538 located on the Tally Lake District west of Kalispell.

• Safety and informational sign replacements across the forest.

• Culvert replacements improving fish passage located at various locations across the forest.

• Gravel resurfacing and safety turnout improvements on the Jewel Basin Road, Forest Road #5392 on the Swan Lake District.

• Road decommissioning on approximately 50 miles of road identified in prior environmental analysis.

• Improvements at trailheads across the forest.

• Reconstruction of several bridges across the forest.

Forest engineer Earl Applekamp said he is currently in the process of sorting through the projects and working on bid specifications for each one. As jobs become available they'll be posted on the federal contract Web site www.fbo.gov.

First-time contractors or contractors who haven't worked with the Forest Service before can learn more by going to the Flathead Forest's Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead. From there they should click on "A Guide to Doing Business with the Forest Service" link, which is listed under the release on the announcement for economic recovery funds.

Applekamp said one of the top contracts to get out this year is the work at Doris, because contractors will need low water to complete work at the boat launch this fall.

The job includes putting a new day use boat launch as well as reconstructing the campground.

He said work from the stimulus funding will run into 2010 and likely into 2011. Nearly all of the work is deferred maintenance — jobs that would have never been completed had it not been for the stimulus money.