Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to vote on snow contract that drew a single bid

Only one contractor bid on the Kodiak Island Borough's snow removal, ice control and sweeping work at borough-owned facilities. The assembly votes Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. on awarding the contract to MK Enterprises LLC, running Sept. 19 through June 30, 2028.

Staff priced the bid at $19,060 against estimated quantities drawn from past seasons and named the company the lowest cost responsible bidder. That figure is an evaluated cost. The solicitation guarantees no minimum volume of work. Under state procurement practice, a lone responsive bid does not by itself bar an award when the price is fair and reasonable and other bidders had a reasonable opportunity to respond. The borough issued its invitation to bid July 17, advertised for three weeks and opened bids Aug. 18. Two contractors attended the mandatory Aug. 5 pre-bid meeting. One bid package arrived.

Borough Manager Aimee Williams told the assembly Sept. 10 that the school district's plans narrowed the field. "But the interesting part of the contract is, is that the school district wants to do their own snow removal. They've never done it before, and so they want the backup that if they need help, they can call and get help," Williams said. She said the second interested contractor became less interested once that was announced.

The previous facilities contract expired June 12. The replacement provides sanding, de-icing and snow hauling as needed, according to the staff report from Engineering and Facilities Director Codi Allen. The contractor must begin snow removal or sanding within one hour of a call-out, or within an otherwise agreed-upon timeframe. If the response lags, the borough may bring in a backup contractor.

The contract ranks sites in three tiers:

• Bayside Fire Hall and the Women's Bay Fire Department come first.

• School district parking, borough administration parking and the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center come second.

• The landfill, remaining lots and the bike path come last.

Schools have been the costliest ground to clear, averaging $63,158 a year across fiscal 2019 through 2025, borough records show. The research center averaged $10,932 and Bayside Fire $1,792.50.

Assembly Member Jeremiah Gardner said the borough, city and school district should stop running separate snow contracts. "I find it ridiculous," Gardner said.