County facilities director: Admin HVAC permit set, Jailpod permit triggers sidewalk repairs required by city

Jeff Wohler, Kootenai County facilities director, told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 7 that the county has received final design plans for the administrative building HVAC replacement and will submit those plans for permits within the week. "We'll probably be receiving bids in just over a month," Wohler said, adding the work will be phased by department and will include some evening and weekend work to maintain building operations.

Wohler said the county will meet with interested bidders to ensure they understand phasing and operational impacts. He emphasized the design divides the building into phases and that some work will occur outside regular hours to reduce disruption.

On the Jailpod project, Wohler said county plans have been submitted for permits to the City of Coeur d'Alene. "One thing that came back to us on that is, they are going to require us to do some sidewalk work on Government Way," he said, describing city comments that approaches exceed current ADA slope standards and that sections of sidewalk are broken or uneven.

Wohler said the required sidewalk work is outside the county's interior pod work and therefore does not affect the pod construction itself, but the city is using the permitting process to require remedies on adjacent public sidewalks. "We are working with the design team to revise the plans to include this in the site plan and we'll be bringing up numbers for what that work will entail for us," Wohler said.

Commissioners heard the update and asked no formal questions; Wohler closed by thanking staff and noting the county will coordinate permit revisions and upcoming bid outreach.