Kootenai County commissioners approve landfill closure design, airport grants, ARFF lease and multiple purchases

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19 approved a package of contracts, purchases and grant applications, including a $411,702.23 professional-services agreement for landfill interim-closure design, a short-term lease and budget transfer to restore airport firefighting capability, and Federal Aviation Administration grant work for taxiway lighting.

The board convened at 2 p.m. and approved routine consent items and payables before taking up business items that county staff described as necessary to maintain operations and comply with federal grant and safety requirements.

The most urgent item was at the Coeur d'Alene Airport. Kim Stevenson, airport staff, told the board that the airport’s aircraft-rescue-and-firefighting (ARFF) vehicle suffered “a catastrophic failure of the main pump” and that the existing unit, a 2001 model, is “well past its useful life.” Stevenson said the county retains grant funding to buy a replacement but was unable to procure a vehicle through earlier bids, so staff sought a short-term lease so the airport could restore ARFF service quickly. The board approved a lease with Company 2 LLC and agreed to a $39,550 fund transfer from Fund 30 to cover the lease (about $15,550 charged to FY25); commissioners said they would return later for any FY26 approvals.

The board also approved airport grant actions tied to runway/taxiway lighting projects. Commissioners authorized a Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program application for taxiway November MIRL (medium-intensity runway lights) and associated work, a grant request for $647,265 with a county cash match of $17,034 (2.5 percent). The board then approved an additional-services addendum to the airport’s engineering consultant to design and grant-administer that work; county staff said the addendum (about $94,909) is eligible for FAA reimbursement at 95 percent.

Solid-waste staff presented…