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Buildings and grounds presents $1M-plus capital needs, urges planning before possible bank sale
Summary
Pennington County Buildings & Grounds director Davis Purcell outlined a multi-year facilities plan that lists several million dollars of roof, chiller and transformer replacements and urged the commission to decide whether to sell or repurpose recently acquired properties before starting large remodels.
Davis Purcell, director of Pennington County Buildings & Grounds, gave the Board of Commissioners a five-year view of major capital needs across county facilities, warning that several high-cost systems will require funding soon and that the county should clarify plans for recently acquired buildings before committing to costly remodeling.
The stakes: Buildings and Grounds manages more than 1.1 million square feet of county property, including detention centers, courtrooms and administrative offices. Purcell said a large, unexpected repair in the previous year's heating and sprinkler systems cost about $150,000; the office must also plan for large, one-time costs such as a full concourse roof and multiple transformer replacements.
Major capital items and estimates: Purcell listed a set of projects over the next five years and preliminary estimates: a full replacement roof for the Concourse building (estimated at about $1 million total, convertible to staged work at ~$350,000 per phase), a 250-ton chiller replacement (roughly $600,000), north-side and remainder Concourse parking lot reconstruction (well over $1 million for full replacement), a 250- to 400-ton chiller, courthouse window replacement (estimated about $750,000), three transformers needing replacement tied to Black Hills Energy line upgrades (about $400,000), and other lot and infrastructure work. Purcell also said one transformer was currently leaking oil and needed replacement.
Sale of First Interstate Bank building and relocation planning: The buildings and grounds office is working on a concept for moving staff into vacant space if the county sells the First Interstate Bank building, which the county purchased earlier. Purcell asked for direction a soon as possible so he could move forward with design and bid work for remodels timed to population and department moves. He also noted possible buyers for other parcels (the Harley building and wood shop) and said proceeds could be used for facilities construction.
Fleet, storage and sheriff's mechanics: Commissioners raised the idea of locating sheriff fleet maintenance and mechanics alongside highway department resources to share space and labor; Purcell said he favored keeping most maintenance and heavy storage downtown because approximately 80% of county facilities are downtown. He also said discussions are ongoing about potentially building large, climate-controlled space and moving some storage and mechanic work to a different county lot.
Funding and reserves: Purcell urged the commission to consider rolling unused operational and capital improvement funds into a multi-year capital pool to tackle large projects and emergencies, noting that the county's accumulated building fund has been drawn down substantially and that the county currently has a relatively small uncommitted reserve for building emergencies.
Ending: The commission asked Purcell to present a formal concept plan and associated cost/benefit estimates at an upcoming meeting so the board could make a timely decision about whether to sell or retain the bank building and how to prioritize the capital list. Purcell said he would submit material for the next agenda and would bring detailed floor plans and cost estimates.
