Builders vying for the contract to construct the new Deer Harbor fire station waited intently as the board of fire commissioners opened the bids submitted at a special meeting on May 4.

Seventeen contractors had showed up at the initial walkthrough. Sixteen builders took the specs and went through the evaluation process. But on Tuesday, the number had dwindled to only four bidders.

Rolf Eriksen of Happy Acres Construction bid $589,712. Dwight Guss of Avalon Construction bid $569,900. Justin Paulsen of Terra Firma NW bid $534,923.

Ryan Wellman of Wellman and Zuck General Contractors, a Bellingham firm, submitted a bid of $426,562, lower than the three Orcas Island firms’ bids by more than $100,000.

“We’ve got one that’s … aggressive,” said commissioner Clyde Duke, who commented that “the three top bids are incredibly close.”

“It’s always concerning when you see one so low,” said commissioner Jim Coffin.

The board announced plans to contact each builder during the coming week to discuss the bids and ensure that they are “comparing apples to apples” as they evaluate each option. They plan to announce their selection at the May 11 meeting.

Chief Mike Harris credited Duke for overseeing the streamlining of station specs so that bids came in at half the amount of previous bids (based on the initial specs). Previous bids ranged from $991,150 (Avalon) to $1,363,727 (Terra Firma). Those two companies were also the only previous bidders to re-bid on the new specs.

To conclude the five-minute evening session, the commissioners held a brief discussion regarding whether the proper term for a female bullfrog might not be “cowfrog.”

The San Juan County Chiefs Association will meet on May 19, 8:30 p.m. at the Eastsound fire hall.