Kootenai County commissioners approve series of construction contracts, equipment purchases, FAA grants and leases

Kootenai County commissioners on May 27 approved multiple routine and project-specific items, including construction and design contracts for county facilities, purchases for elections and the treasurer’s office, two Federal Aviation Administration grant actions for the airport, and a lease termination and new ground lease for airport property.

The board voted 3–0 on each item during a meeting that opened with a brief public-comment period in which a resident reported follow-up information about a neighboring county’s small bus fleet and training funding.

Key approvals

- Justice Building HVAC: The board awarded the low responsive bid for HVAC equipment at the existing Justice Building to Apollo Mechanical for the base bid plus alternate 1, a total of $571,932. Director Jeff Fuller said $435,000 had been budgeted in FY25 and that commissioners earlier approved placing an additional $200,000 into a fund-balance bucket; Fuller asked the board to formally assign the extra $200,000 to the project when the contract is presented.

- Corner remodel (construction manager/general contractor selection): The county selected a top-ranked construction manager/general contractor to lead the design and…