Low bids on National Park Service projects stretch stimulus money

WASHINGTON (Deseret News) — Call it a silver lining of the recession: The National Park Service says bids for its stimulus-funded projects nationwide came in so low from contractors fighting for work that it saved $129 million nationally. So it is spending that savings on an additional 30 projects nationally.

"We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to do so much more with our Recovery Act funding than we originally planned. Certainly the market dynamics play a significant role in the pricing we're seeing, but I also credit the execution and hard work of our team," said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis.

In the final list of all projects receiving funding, Utah national parks and monuments are receiving $17.8 million in stimulus funding.

The majority of that is going for one project: $10.98 million to demolish and replace condemned portions of the Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument. That center had covered a cliffside full of dinosaur fossils that had carefully been uncovered in place.

The building had been condemned as unsafe and closed in recent years, even though it was the main attraction of the monument. The number of visitors to that monument plummeted in that time. The Obama administration repeatedly has pointed to it as one of the most noteworthy park repairs being performed with stimulus money.

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