Supervisors get quarterly capital projects update; county advances jail medical addition, HHS lobby renovation, and new operations and public‑works buildings

Coconino County facilities, public works and parks staff presented a quarterly roundup of capital projects on Oct. 1, updating supervisors on budgets, schedules and implementation risks across a set of ongoing efforts.

Sheriff’s detention facility projects Sheriff Brett Axland and contractors reported progress on two detention‑related projects: a new medical unit addition (approx. 15,000 sq ft addition) to expand medical and behavioral health facilities inside the detention campus, and an intake/transfer/release renovation to separate arrest, transfer and release flows for safety and security. The total budget for the detention projects was reported at about $20 million, funded by jail district bond proceeds and jail fund balance; footings and utility conduit work were in place and the medical unit target completion was estimated for February 2027 with the intake work staged for mid‑2027.

Community Development / Facilities projects - HHS (King Street) renovation: Facilities staff said two projects were combined — a youth behavioral health center (about 3,000 sq ft) and a new HHS lobby/clinic conference room reconfiguration (about 5,000 sq ft). Early construction start was reported with a target completion in spring 2026 and a combined budget of roughly $3 million. - Joint Operations Center and Sheep Hill campus: Facilities and public works are coordinating a new ~9,000 sq ft operations center at Sheep Hill that will house emergency management and the emergency operations center; a co‑located public‑works vehicle barn will be procured together to leverage economies of scale for pre‑engineered metal buildings. Estimated combined budgets were in the $5–7 million range for the vehicle barn and $5–6 million for the operations center depending on final design choices and metal‑building tariff impacts.

Public Works vehicle barn and Parks projects Public Works confirmed plans to bid a 17,000 sq ft vehicle storage barn (with a 3,000 sq ft training/conference space) at Sheep Hill; the department said contingency/phase‑planning would manage tariff and materials cost risk. Parks and Recreation reported several projects: Frontier property remediation, demolition and trail/ramada work funded in part by a heritage grant; a prefabricated restroom at the Commons (aimed at lowering estimated costs from earlier engineer estimates); and a major Quad water and sewer replacement project in Flagstaff’s historic Quad area, funded with approximately $3.0 million in congressionally directed spending plus ARPA funds (and pending final bids).

Tribal Nations Service Center (Tuba City) funding update Facilities staff reported progress on the Tribal Nations Service Center concept in Tuba City and said a combination of congressional and county general‑fund allocations had been identified but an earlier congressionally directed appropriation expected in a second tranche did not arrive, leaving an estimated shortfall. Staff said final steps with USDA and federal paperwork are pending and that procurement timing will be affected if additional funding is not secured; staff pledged to present funding options to the board in December for consideration.

Common themes — funding and tariffs Presenters repeatedly warned that federal funding availability, tariffs on metal and supply‑chain inflation are affecting schedules and budgets across multiple projects; staff said they are pursuing grants and phasing certain elements to control cost risk. Staff also highlighted the need to coordinate across departments for procurement and site staging when multiple buildings and yards are constructed simultaneously.

Next steps Project bids and procurement timelines vary by project; staff said remediation and procurement documents for the old jail are concluding, public‑works bids for the Quad water/sewer project were due in mid‑October and several park and facility projects will enter construction deployment in the next 12 to 18 months.