Public Works Director Ben Turner and BCRA designer Amanda presented the design-development phase for Liberty Lake’s City Hall project at the Dec. 16 council meeting, sharing updated renderings and a schedule for solicitation and construction.

The main takeaways: the core floor plan has not changed, the council-chamber back wall will include a curved acoustical surface and larger monitors for visibility, and furniture choices were adjusted for a more casual gathering space adjacent to the lobby. Turner told the council the project remains “under that $6,000,000 figure that we talked about,” and staff identified a set of additive bid alternatives totaling roughly $500,000.

Amanda said the design team adjusted finishes and elements to improve acoustics and sightlines, and flagged how some changes affect accessibility and operations. On dais height and ADA compliance she explained that raising the dais to improve sightlines would likely require a ramp that consumes floor area; she gave planned dimensions, saying the dais surface would be around 28 to 29 inches and a raised finished height roughly 36 to 37 inches. On AV, staff said multichannel displays and electronic voting are possible but add cost; city staff noted the current voting software can support electronic voting if adequate AV/power infrastructure is provided.

Budget and schedule: Turner described the additive alternatives—upgraded finishes, clerestory windows, and a roof replacement—calling the roof the highest-priority alternate (he estimated $300,000 of the ~$500,000 alternatives total) because the building’s roof was installed around 2001. Staff said construction documents will be completed in early January, the solicitation planned for Jan. 24, and that they aim to award around Feb. 19 with an approximate nine-month construction timeline once work begins.

What happens next: Staff will return with final construction documents and the bid package; council asked staff to evaluate AV, sightline, and accessibility tradeoffs and to coordinate police/security input on camera placement and operations.