The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 2 to allow the Engineering Department to solicit qualifications from architectural firms to prepare design and construction documents for a first-floor remodel of the county administration building.

Spencer Ferguson of the Engineering Department asked the board for permission to obtain qualifications and said he would seek submissions from multiple firms with an advertising deadline of Jan. 14. He estimated advertising costs in local papers would be about $300 to $800 and said design fees often run roughly 10% of construction costs. Commissioners and staff discussed options for outreach, including contacting local firms directly to encourage submissions.

The board's deliberations focused heavily on accessibility and project scope. Several commissioners emphasized that ADA access — in particular the county's aging elevator — must be addressed early. One county official said the elevator had previously been out of service for weeks, causing hardships for older residents and people who cannot use stairs; the treasurer (who spoke to the board) said she is prepared to stay on the third floor but highlighted crowding and security problems in the treasurer's office.

Commissioners debated whether to pursue elevator-repair estimates in parallel with the RFQ or to delay the RFQ until the elevator scope was resolved so design teams would have a clearer budget. Engineering staff recommended moving forward with the qualifications process to obtain contractor-supplied project-cost estimates that would allow the board to prioritize elements and consider alternates to control costs. The motion to authorize the department to obtain qualifications and advertise at current rates in the local paper passed unanimously.