Sonoma County won’t put the replacement of Bodega Bay’s aging ice plant out to bid until 2027. The county said so in its announcement of an Oct. 20 event at Spud Point Marina celebrating the $2.78 million that pays for the work.
In July, Regional Parks staff told the Board of Supervisors the project would go to bid this fall.
The icehouse at the county-owned marina is the only bulk ice production facility between San Francisco and Fort Bragg, according to the county, and serves about 250 commercial vessels, charter operators and recreational fishers. The county says the equipment has outlived its expected lifespan and is increasingly prone to breakdowns. When it breaks down, ice has to be trucked in from outside the region.
What supervisors were told in July
On July 7, supervisors approved three grants for the project and added $2,775,000 to Regional Parks’ 2026-27 budget. Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose district includes Bodega Bay, made the motion, and Supervisor James Gore seconded.
The staff report for that meeting said Regional Parks was preparing the design, engineering and construction specifications “with the goal of releasing the project for competitive bid during fall 2026.” Staff expected to come back to the board in the fall “seeking approval of bids and commencement of the project.”
The county’s Oct. 19 media advisory said the project “is expected to go out to bid in 2027.” It didn’t say why the date moved. Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker told The Press Democrat the project could be completed later in 2027.
A grant written for 2026
The smallest of the three grants, $75,000 from the California Air Resources Board’s F-Gas Reduction Incentive Program, pays to move the plant off R-22, an ozone-depleting refrigerant phased out under federal law. The July staff report says the refrigerant the plant uses to make ice “is no longer available for commercial uses.”
That grant is with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, which runs the program for the state. The agreement attached to the July board item says the county must file a final status update “when the Project is complete” and “no later than December 31, 2026.” The county gets the money after that report. The agreement ends June 1, 2027.
The agreement allows for delays. A project behind schedule must explain why in its quarterly updates, and a material extension of the schedule needs the refrigeration council’s approval and a formal amendment. “Normal project delays are not considered material for the purposes of this Agreement,” the agreement says.
The largest grant, $1.5 million from the State Coastal Conservancy, was approved Feb. 19. Its agreement requires all work to be finished by Dec. 1, 2027. The Conservancy pays only after the county shows it has spent the other public money available for the project.
The remaining $1.2 million is federal Community Project Funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, secured by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and awarded April 28. Minutes of the Spud Point Marina Advisory Committee show the request was on Huffman’s list by October 2024.
Bids go back to supervisors
Before construction can start, Regional Parks has to bring the bids back to the Board of Supervisors for approval.