Construction Bids Being Accepted For City Fueling Facility

The City of Spokane is taking bids for construction of three 10,000- gallon, above-ground fueling tanks at Fleet Services.

The facility will refuel most city vehicles, including police cars, fire vehicles, parks department trucks, and garbage and recycling trucks.

The tanks will replace three underground tanks - some 40 years old - that were recently removed in keeping with federal law that calls for underground fuel storage tanks to be removed by 1998.

City officials had hoped to move the fleet service to an expanded maintenance yard, possibly in the Logan neighborhood, before the 1998 deadline. But the process is moving slower than expected and new sites are being considered.

The fueling facility is located on North Normandie Street, near Sinto.

After removing the original fuel storage tanks, the ground was cleaned to eliminate remnants of diesel oil. Then the holes were refilled.

With no refueling tanks available, the city is now buying gas from the Washington State Department of Transportation and two gas stations in town. City vehicles use about 800 gallons of unleaded fuel per day.

Fleet Services Director Don Roberson said the fuel tanks will pay for themselves in about three years with the money saved on gas.

The city-operated tanks also assure that emergency vehicles have fuel available in emergencies.

Bids for the project are being accepted until 1 p.m. April 28. The bids will be publicly opened and read in the City Council Chambers at 1:30 p.m. that same day.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Fleet Services Office, 1410 N. Normandie, today at 1:30 p.m.

, DataTimes