Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys today announced the award of a $1,973,202 contract to J. Martinez Construction, Inc., a member of the Colorado Springs small-business community. The firm will install fire detection, fire alarm, and extinguishing systems at five Reclamation powerplants: Green Mountain, Estes, Mary's, Flatiron, and Big Thompson. The powerplants are all part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Keys highlighted the contract's safety focus, saying, "Providing for the health and welfare of both the public and our employees remains at the core of Reclamation's mission. These upgrades will help to ensure that our facilities remain safe and reliable well into the future."

All of the facilities scheduled for improvements are managed by the Eastern Colorado Area Office, which oversees both the Colorado-Big Thompson and Fryingpan-Arkansas Projects, as well as other Reclamation activities in eastern Colorado.