City staff outlines capital‑improvement priorities: vehicles, evidence storage, street shop, library study and airport apron

City Manager Amy Leon walked the commission through key projects in the draft capital improvement plan at the June 16 work session, asking for commissioner priorities and noting timing uncertainty for some large procurements.

Major project highlights (staff discussion):

- Public safety vehicles and equipment: the police department has two vehicles budgeted for 2026 plus associated new‑vehicle equipment. Staff noted equipment procurement lead times and replacements may be delayed by supply chain issues.

- Evidence storage facility: staff highlighted a large, secured evidence storage need (police) and marked a placeholder in the plan; the facility would include secure storage for vehicles and evidence and staff said partnering with the sheriff’s office is an option.

- Fire apparatus: staff discussed replacing Engine No. 1 (fire engine) and said recent vendor quotes have exceeded earlier estimates (one quote was over $1 million). Procurement is complicated by long build times, contract terms and state law limits on prepayment; staff said no order has been placed and the timing and financing will be reviewed before any commitment.

- Central garage/fueling site and street shop: staff identified a $9,000,000 placeholder for a street shop/central garage fueling site and said aging facilities and duplicative shops make consolidation worth studying. Street‑shop upgrades could pair with evidence storage and site consolidation decisions.

- Streets, sidewalks and water/wastewater coordination: staff presented a multi‑street reconstruction list for 2026 (examples include 30th Street, Cedar Street and Third Street) and stressed that where water or wastewater utilities are present the projects include coordinated work to avoid re‑digging new pavement.

- Library planning: staff proposed $50,000 in 2026 for a library concept plan and cost estimate to inform future decisions about size, location and operating costs; Leon said the library trustees will be meeting on statute/rules and that a trustee recommendation on location would be appropriate before design starts.

- Summit Activity Center and school cost sharing: staff reviewed the SAC capital list and the city’s varying cost shares with the school district; Leon said she plans a review of the SAC agreement to simplify shared responsibilities and percentages.

- Airport apron project: staff noted a $1,820,000 total project for the general‑aviation terminal apron; Leon said federal funding covers the majority of such costs, the state contributes a small share and the city is responsible for roughly 15% of the total project cost.

- Wastewater plant improvements and federal funding: staff described recent work at the wastewater plant (including a digester lid project) and said the plant overhaul has significant federal funding (Leon and staff discussed more than $16 million in federal support for larger wastewater projects); staff said a work session later this summer will provide a fuller update.

Parks and recreation notes

- Fox Run playground and routine parks vehicle replacements were included for 2026. Staff discussed a multi‑partner artificial turf plan for Summit fields and a Riverside Park softball/turfing project that would be a multi‑year, multi‑partner effort with Yankton Baseball and Mount Marty; staff said the guard may provide labor support for excavation on a conditional basis.

Procurement timing and constraints

Staff warned that long lead times for vehicles, custom fire apparatus and large transfer trailers mean delivery could be delayed by one to several years and that contract terms (and in some cases state procurement/payment rules) influence ability to lock prices or prepay. For several large items staff recommended continued price negotiations and staged decision points so the commission can weigh project timing against fiscal capacity.

Ending

Leon asked commissioners to identify priorities and told them the plan will be revised after feedback; staff said new capital software will change the format of the plan next year and that an updated five‑year plan will be presented with operating budgets later in the cycle.