Bidders must wait for next meeting The...

Bidders must wait for next meeting

The fair board revised its schedule for the bidding process for

the weekend swap meet lease.

The fair’s general manager, Becky Bailey-Findley, said that

officials revised the schedule in part because of state reports that

claimed the fairgrounds were underutilized.

With the new schedule, approved by the board Thursday, the board

will consider the final invitation for bids on Oct. 28. This will be

the second invitation for bids considered by the fair board. The

first one was terminated because the process got bogged down in

controversy between the two bidders -- Tel-Phil Enterprise, which

founded the swap meet, and competitor Delaware North.

Also Thursday, the fair board rejected all bids for the renovation

of the Pacific Amphitheatre -- a $10-million project, which includes

construction costs, concession-stand renovation and architectural

design. Bids for the project exceeded the allocated budget by more

than $6 million. The board directed staff members to work with the

architect and the California Construction Authority to assess the

current bids and investigate what caused the discrepancy.