The Port of Bremerton Commissioners Tuesday approved paying nearly $90,000 to repair some of the pilings supporting the Port Orchard Marina.

Steve Slaton, the port’s director of marine facilities, said the pilings — which support the shop and restroom buildings — have marine borer infestation, and need to be re-enforced with steel.

Slaton said the engineers who designed the repairs estimated that they would cost around $59,000, but all three bids the port received were more than $74,000.

“The lowest bid was disqualified, and the third bid was $174,000,” he said, explaining that the bid chosen by staff was from Redside Construction, which was for just under $89,000.

To explain why the engineers’ estimate was so low compared to the bids, Slaton said the engineers underestimated the contractor’s costs and risks in three areas: “handling the rock riprap, keeping the buildings operational during construction, and the lack of a large laydown area adjacent to the work site.”

Commissioner Larry Stokes questioned why the engineers had prepared such a low estimate.

“Did they look at the site? Did they ever go there?” Stokes said.

When Slaton said the engineers had, Stokes said the port should be paying closer attention to such estimates in the future.

“We’re paying these people a lot of money,” he said. “We need to be a little more watchful.”

Slaton said the damaged pilings were identified during an underwater inspection in 2007, “and they have been continuing to decline. The marine borers are eating up the pilings,” he said.

“I don’t disagree that they need the work,” Stokes said, describing that the work involved capping the damaged pilings with galvanized steel. “Was cement ever considered?”

Slaton said using cement was not an option because it would “alter the footprint” so much as to make the project prohibitively expensive and a much more “considerable amount of work.”

According to Slaton, the port has a fund set aside in its budget for “unexpected marina repairs with a balance of $400,000.”

The board then unanimously approved the contract with Redside Construction.

• During his commissioner’s report, Stokes said he met recently with Port Orchard Mayor Lary Coppola and City Councilman Fred Olin on separate occasions.

“I’m not speaking for the commission, only for myself,” he said. “But I think the (city of Port Orchard) understands the port better, and I think we will have a much better relationship from now on.”

Stokes said he told both officials that when it came to communicating, he would much rather “pick up the phone instead of sending letters,” and he would be “glad to meet with (anyone) at any time.”

He concluded by adding that he and Mayor Coppola understood each other because “we are the two most bull-headed people in South Kitsap.”