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Commissioners review $150 million 2026–2030 capital improvement plan; staff recommends pausing new allocations to 1242 Massachusetts Street
Summary
Staff presented a $150 million CIP focused on public safety, roads, bridges and facilities; Public Safety Building represents $89 million of that total. Commissioners directed staff not to add new allocations to 1242 Massachusetts Street pending discussion of selling the property and to retain the existing balance for potential short-term needs.
Douglas County staff presented the 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan to the Board of County Commissioners on July 30, outlining roughly $150 million in capital projects over the five-year window, including an $89 million allocation for the Public Safety Building.
Brooke, who led the presentation, summarized completed projects, current-year expenditures and planned projects including facilities renovations, bridge replacements, the Walkerusa Drive extension, park improvements and an open-space program. Brooke said the county had already recorded roughly $15.3 million in CIP expenditures in 2025 and highlighted that 2025 may be one of the higher-spend years in recent memory.
Public works staff described bridge and road priorities and cautioned that contractor availability is limiting the county’s ability to bid and complete several bridge projects; two recently advertised bridges drew bids on only one of the two projects and staff said contractors report being fully booked through 2026. The Walkerusa Drive extension is currently estimated at about $10.3 million; staff said federal approvals (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) are required before design can proceed and that construction is likely to be bid in 2027.
Brooke and Chad reviewed facility projects and called attention to 1242 Massachusetts Street. Staff recommended that, following the courthouse renovation and relocation to the Public Safety Building, the county likely will not need 1242 Massachusetts for its operations. Commissioners asked whether to continue allocating new funds to that building; after discussion the board provided direction not to add new allocations to 1242 Massachusetts in the CIP and to retain existing funds on the project to cover any necessary actions while staff prepares a formal recommendation on disposition or sale. Staff noted statutory and procedural requirements for selling county property, including the need for a unanimous commission vote to sell.
Other items noted in the plan included a $625,000 ARPA allocation for park improvements (with $231,000 already spent), use of FEMA tornado recovery funds and insurance settlement proceeds to replace a maintenance building, and a KDOT grant of $1.4 million for a bridge project that must be contracted within a KDOT timetable; staff warned that scheduling conflicts with nearby KDOT work could constrain the county’s window to complete that bridge.
The CIP is a working document; staff will return with edits before formal adoption and will follow up on commissioner direction regarding 1242 Massachusetts Street.
