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Commissioners approve courthouse handrail design and call for bids with brass and steel alternates
Summary
The county approved exterior handrail design for the courthouse, authorized a call for bids and required alternates for brass and steel materials. Commissioners emphasized balancing historic appearance against likely material costs and directed staff to seek bids that include both material options.
The Walla Walla County Board of County Commissioners on Monday approved handrail plans for the county courthouse exterior and authorized staff to call for bids that include material alternates for brass and steel.
Rob Grandstaff, facility maintenance director, presented exterior handrail drawings and said the design would improve accessibility to the building and that the engineering work was largely complete. He warned the board that the design team had not finalized a center handrail for the interior stairs and that further work on that detail would follow.
Commissioners expressed concern about material costs in the current market. Grandstaff said tariffs and material‑price volatility could make brass considerably more expensive than steel and that bidding both as an alternate would give the county flexibility. “If the brass is $100,000 and the steel is $20,000 ... we’ll probably lean toward steel,” Commissioner Kimball said during the discussion.
The board approved a motion to call for bids with the explicit instruction that the solicitation include brass as the base material and steel (or an appropriate alternate) as an option. The motion passed 3‑0.
Key points from the discussion
- Design and scope: Grandstaff said the exterior rail design met code and improved access; the center (middle) rail remained a design item to complete in a subsequent phase.
- Historic appearance vs. budget: Commissioners and staff discussed historic character and whether the county should pursue higher‑cost brass to match the courthouse aesthetic or accept a steel alternate if bids made brass cost‑prohibitive.
- Bidding approach: The board asked staff to include a brass base bid and steel (or equivalent) alternates so the county could choose material based on bid pricing.
Action taken: The board voted to approve proposal 2025‑317 — maintenance approval of handrail plans and to call for bids with brass and steel alternates. Commissioner Clayton moved the motion; Commissioner Kimball seconded. The motion carried 3‑0.
Ending: Facility staff will release the bid package incorporating the requested alternates and return to the board with bid results and recommendations. Staff said the center‑rail details would be completed in a follow‑up design phase before installation of interior elements.
