Bannock County approves RFQ for master plan of wellness complex and event center

Bannock County commissioners on Thursday approved a request for qualifications to hire a design/planning firm to prepare a master plan and feasibility work for the county-owned wellness complex and adjacent event facilities.

The board voted to seek firms that can document experience with multiuse recreational and event facilities, produce phased implementation options and lead community engagement that will inform decisions about parking, traffic flow, arena placement and potential private partnerships.

County procurement chief Shanda Old told commissioners the RFQ will ask firms to demonstrate similar projects and propose milestones and deliverables, adding the county will combine local staff expertise and community input with outside professional analysis. "We're looking at creating that master plan, and then also, right, steps, milestones of how to get there," she said.

Commissioners and staff discussed several site issues the RFQ should address, including rerouting the walking path, possible future parking area on the northeast side of the Portnoy Wellness Complex, how a redesigned layout would affect the juvenile detention center and other county users, and the condition of the covered arena roof. Scott (county maintenance/road and bridge staff) said the county should identify bench and pathway placements to avoid conflicts with mowing, irrigation and future parking projects.

Raul Kano, executive director of the Auditorium District and Mountain View Events Center, urged the board to include a feasibility study as part of the planning process. "You have to do a feasibility study," Kano said, adding that similar work can have a cost but provides clarity: "We paid $60,000 10 years ago, and it was well worth it... We actually hired that same firm again... and that was about $25,000." Kano recommended hiring an outside firm to avoid local bias and to produce a usable product for fundraising and partnership development.

Commissioners emphasized the RFQ should define the scope and deliverables clearly so firms can provide meaningful responses and cost estimates. One commissioner said the county must avoid piecemeal decisions and instead build a five- to 10-year vision that could attract private investment; another asked staff to clarify whether the county wanted one master plan for a fully county-funded scenario and a second scenario showing private-sector partnerships and cost-sharing.

The board voted, without recorded opposition, to proceed with an RFQ; commissioners directed staff to include community engagement, feasibility components and parking/traffic analysis in the scope. A feasibility study was discussed repeatedly as an intended part of the process but the commissioners did not set a dollar amount in the meeting.

Staff noted related funding constraints: some access-control work for the Exhibit Hall had been planned with a mix of PILT and ARPA funds, and the PILT portion may expire on Sept. 30; the availability of those funds could affect project timing for building improvements that might be covered by the master plan.

The RFQ process will return to the commission with shortlisted firms and a recommendation before any contract award or capital commitments.

Ending: Commissioners characterized the RFQ as a first step to produce a shared long-range vision for the wellness complex and event facilities, with the intention of following the RFQ with interviews, a feasibility component and a final plan that the board can use to evaluate funding and phasing options.