 The construction bid that was expected to be awarded this week for downtown Bemidji's gateway project has been delayed. Bids submitted for the Third Street Project came in slightly higher than originally expected. The total cost of the project is $98,600. The City of Bemidji and the Downtown Alliance have been working together on the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of June. While the City of Bemidji has offered to pay an additional $5,000 for the project, the Downtown Alliance extended its fundraising by one month in order to raise the rest of the money that's needed for the project. So we're really, really close. It's $5,170 and we have about another month in which to raise that. I'm confident that we will because of the nature of the project, but welcome any donations at this point. If you'd like to make a donation, you can visit the Bemidji Downtown Alliance's website at Bemidjidowntown.com. The Bemidji City Council is expected to award the construction bid for the project at its next meeting on March 13th.