New public works facility moves forward with $30.16M estimate; structural work scheduled this summer

Kathy Polite, the city's project manager for water and sewer projects, presented a construction update on the new public works facility and said site grading finished in October 2024 and that ICS Construction Services was awarded the construction contract in January 2025 and began work in February.

Scope and schedule: Kathy said the estimated cost to complete the new public works facility is $30,164,000 and that construction continues with structural masonry and underground plumbing in progress. Greg Cordone, a consultant with Avis and Young engaged by the city, said structural steel for the Public Works Building should begin by the end of the month and that foundations for the Fleet Building are scheduled to be poured next week.

Operational capacity and resiliency: Kathy and Greg said the facility will house 81 Public Works employees and 9 Fleet employees. Committee members asked about weather and catastrophic events; staff said one segment of the building will serve as a protection zone (not a full storm shelter), the buildings will have generators and redundant internet to support operations during power failures.

Why it matters: Committee members praised project progress and noted the city's large pipeline of construction projects. Staff said they aim to enclose as much of the structure as possible before winter to avoid weather delays and to maintain the July–2026 completion target.

Next steps: Staff will continue monthly updates to the committee and return in September with another facilities update as the project advances.