Sean Fugit, Grand County facilities and maintenance supervisor, presented facility needs and a draft capital-projects list to the budget advisory board on Oct. 3, highlighting HVAC replacements, a Moab Information Center bathroom remodel, library roof and floor work, and a county-wide security and access-control upgrade that facilities staff estimated at about $1 million.

Gabe (county staff) briefed the board on capital fund balances. He said the capital projects general fund (Fund 34) held approximately $4,650,000 but noted roughly $300,000 in near-term charges for courthouse HVAC work, recorder digitization, and an automatic transfer switch, leaving an estimated available balance of about $4,350,000 heading into 2026. Staff said historical deposits to the fund had slowed since COVID-era infusions and recommended the commission consider a replenishment plan for the capital fund.

Fugit described several higher-priority facility needs: courthouse HVAC replacements on a concrete replacement schedule and a visitor-services bathroom remodel at the Moab Information Center that staff estimated at roughly $220,000 (the project also includes creating a private staff bathroom). Board members said the information center restrooms are in poor condition and urged earlier work if possible; potential funding sources mentioned included the county’s convention and tourism/recreation (rec/film) funds.

Fugit and IT/administrative staff advocated for a county-wide security and access-control system to replace keyed entry and reactive camera-only setups. The estimated program — which would include carded access, centralized camera management, and access auditing across multiple county buildings including the courthouse, airport and satellite facilities — was presented as a single larger project to reduce piecemeal costs and to address audit findings about access control and key issuance. The facilities supervisor and IT director said current manual key tracking and scattered camera systems generate red flags in security and audit reviews.

Other capital items on the draft list included library roof and flooring projects (the library also has a dedicated capital project fund), storefront repairs for aging metal storefronts by the clerk’s office, and a proposal to investigate Veterans Memorial repairs potentially supported by donations and contractor contributions of labor. Board members also noted a fire-suppression (sprinkler) project and requested clearer cost and timing estimates.

Board members asked for clearer historical fund inflow/outflow data before making commission recommendations; Gabe agreed to present several years of fund activity, provide quotes for split-scope proposals (for example, visitor restrooms vs. private staff restroom), and identify potential alternative funding sources and timelines. The board discussed phasing large projects versus approving a single broad security project; no formal action was taken at the advisory meeting.