Port Angeles and Clallam County approve design, funding plan for joint public-safety facility

Port Angeles City Council and the Clallam County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 15 approved a jointly negotiated design-and-construction agreement for a new joint public-safety facility that will house emergency communications (PINCOM) and the county emergency-management operation.

The agreement clears the way to complete final construction documents and go out for bid; city and county staff said they expect invitations to bid to be posted in about four weeks and said a construction contract could be awarded as soon as late October. Officials said a ceremonial groundbreaking could follow once a contractor is selected, with the facility targeted for completion in spring 2027.

Why it matters: County and city officials described the building as a regionally critical, highly resilient operations center intended to remain functional in major disasters. The project replaces space county staff described as seismically vulnerable and consolidates duplicated functions into a single facility.

Design, budget and funding: County Administrator Todd Milke and city staff told elected officials the project moved from an earlier $30 million estimate down to a refined 90% design cost estimate of about $21.49 million, including contingency. Milke said the project has “slightly more than about $2,000,000 in contingency and reserve.” Staff listed revenue sources including a FEMA grant (just under $3 million), two Department of Commerce grants (approximately $1.65 million and $5.7 million for the indicated biennia), a $2 million draw from emergency 911 reserves, and a $2 million-plus legislative appropriation — together described in staff materials as a revenue package of approximately $22.2 million.

Project features and resilience: Project managers said the building is being designed to be highly resilient, with redundant electrical and water systems and a phased approach to sewer redundancy. The site design includes an on‑site septic system initially, with utility extensions planned so the building can later connect to municipal sewer when capacity is available. Staff said the design includes a backup generator and an on‑site fuel “belly tank” sized to support about three days of operation as bid, with an add‑alternate in bid documents to expand on‑site fuel storage to provide a seven‑day on‑site fuel supply. Staff also said the project will pursue LEED Silver certification as required by some grant terms.

Schedule and next steps: Project staff said final permit comments from the Department of Community Development were nearly complete and that the team anticipated preparing final bid‑ready construction documents in one to two weeks, posting an invitation to bid for roughly four weeks, and evaluating bids thereafter. Preconstruction activities and submittals were expected to extend through March 2026, with full construction thereafter and a ribbon cutting projected for about April 2027.

What officials said: County Administrator Todd Milke said the facility “is really a facility that is absolutely critical to be operational should there be any disaster in the area.” He added that by combining city and county needs the project avoids duplicating expensive emergency‑grade systems. Milke also told elected officials the team had refined soft‑cost estimates and gained “a much higher level of confidence in the numbers.”

Action taken: The city council voted to approve the design-and-construction agreement and authorized the city manager to sign and administer the contract; the county board approved the same agreement and authorized the county administrator to sign. Both votes were recorded as unanimous.

Discussion points and unresolved items: Council members and commissioners pressed staff on utilities and redundancy, accessibility of staff and visitor entrances, restroom and shower provisions, and how bid add‑alternates would be structured (for example, expanded fuel storage and future solar / battery readiness). Staff said the design provides for dual plumbing and future solar; they also confirmed the bid package will include add‑alternates so the elected bodies may evaluate cost/benefit at award.

What comes next: With the agreement in place, staff will finish permit responses, finalize 100% design documents, release the bid package, evaluate bid returns and return to elected officials with award recommendations and a proposed groundbreaking date.

Speakers quoted were present at the meeting; quotations are taken from the public presentation and formal motions. No policy changes beyond the signed design‑and‑construction agreement were made at the meeting.