SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County this month agreed to waive the bidding process for the purchase of several automatic doors at the Salisbury Regional Airport.
The Wicomico County Council voted unanimously last week to use Stanley Access Technologies as the sole source vendor for the purchase of seven automatic sliding doors at the Salisbury Regional Airport terminal building.
Nick Rice, purchasing agent for Wicomico County, said the seven sliding doors will be the last in the terminal building to be replaced.
“The airport terminal building has 16 sliding doors,” he said. “Nine of them have already been replaced with the exact same door that we are requesting.”
Rice told the council the airport’s original sliding doors were more than 30 years old and were reaching the end of their useful life.
Councilman Marc Kilmer, however, questioned the sole source request.
“It has to be these types of sliding doors?” he said.
Rice explained the new doors would match ones that were recently replaced.
“The idea is to keep the doors standardized,” he said.
Kilmer asked Rice if doors that were recently installed went through the same sole source process.
“If the doors were replaced recently, did they go through this same sole source process?” he said. “Did we approve that?”
Rice said previous purchases went through a bidding process.
“I believe they were bid out and Stanley Access Technologies was the only bidder,” he said.
Councilman Joe Holloway asked how the airport would maintain its doors.
“Is there any training to our maintenance employees who will be making repairs?” he said.
Rice explained that maintenance staff at the airport were trained when doors were recently replaced.
“There will be no new training required,” he said.
Councilman Larry Dodd questioned the door replacements.
“Other than being 30 years old, were these doors damaged or was this a preventative measure?” he said.
Airport Manager Dawn Veatch said that some doors had been damaged and that the new doors, valued at nearly $50,000, will be purchased using grant money.
“Right now we’ve got two that are damaged,” she said. “We also have a grant that will expire if we don’t move forward.”
Councilman John Hall, who serves as chair of the Airport Commission, said airport officials could not find parts to repair the 30-year-old doors.
“It became almost a hazard,” he said.
With no further discussion, the council voted unanimously to make Stanley Access Technologies the sole source vendor for the purchase of seven sliding doors at the Salisbury Regional Airport.
