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Commissioners grant $10,000 change-order authority and receive progress updates on jail, HVAC and lab projects
Summary
Director of Building and Grounds Jeff Fuller updated commissioners on jail pod assembly, HVAC projects, coroner's autopsy lab design, and a county generator order; commissioners authorized Fuller to approve change orders up to $10,000 and asked for contingency pacing updates.
Jeff Fuller, director of building and grounds, briefed the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 12 about the status of multiple facility projects and requested guidance on change-order approval authority.
On the jail pod buildout, Fuller said metal cells on the first floor are fully assembled and crews are pouring slabs for second-floor cells. He told commissioners he had a small change order on the afternoon agenda—"around $3,500"—and anticipated additional modest items, including a roughly $7,000 fire-line relocation that would be offset by a $3,000 credit for an unneeded door.
Fuller asked whether the board wanted every change order brought to the business meeting or whether the director could be given a threshold for approval. Commissioners agreed that a $10,000 per-change-order approval threshold was reasonable for the scope of the jail project, on the condition Fuller report on contingency spending relative to project progress.
Fuller said the project's contingency remained "healthy" and estimated several near-term add-ons: approximately $6,000 to run cabling for an in-house-built control desk and surface finishing work (sandblasting and epoxy) to reduce damage risk in recreation yards.
Other project updates Fuller provided: - Admin building HVAC: rebid under a construction-manager/general-contractor (CMGC) model to control disruption and better define scope; construction budget set at $1,750,000; CMGC proposals due Aug. 26. - Jail HVAC: 19 mezzanine units will be replaced with rooftop units; project budgeted at $1,470,000; bids open Aug. 19 and a spring 2026 start is anticipated because of equipment lead times. - Jail generator: equipment ordered with a nine-month lead time, planned for spring 2026 installation. - Coroner autopsy lab: value-engineering and design phase underway with Geno Construction as contractor; Fuller estimated about four weeks until a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) is presented to the board. - Justice Building HVAC controls: a change order to expand the building's Trane control system into the older portion of the Justice Building is on the afternoon agenda; Fuller said funding for that work was included in the FY 2026 budget and would become available Oct. 1. - Admin campus concrete work: tear-out and replacement began on the east side with jackhammering under way, and work on the west side was scheduled to start in a few weeks.
Commissioners asked that Fuller vigorously pursue contractor responsibility where appropriate rather than drawing on contingency for contractor-caused issues, and requested periodic updates if contingency spending does not pace with project completion.
The board did not take a formal vote in open session but provided direction to staff: allow Fuller to approve change orders up to $10,000 and return regular contingency and project-status updates to the commissioners.
Why it matters: The projects affect jail capacity and safety systems, building operations countywide, and near-term capital spending. Authorized operational flexibility for change orders is intended to keep projects moving while maintaining oversight.
