Pasco PFD approves $226,000 upgrade for premium audio and outlets

The Pasco Public Facilities District board approved a package of project betterments on Tuesday, voting to add a premium indoor and outdoor audio system and additional electrical outlets at a cost not to exceed $226,000.

The motion to adopt "the project betterment's round 6 as presented, not to exceed $226,000," was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Executive director Matt said the premium system would go beyond a basic public‑address system and could support movie nights and higher‑quality music. "This more premium system would be allowed... this is relatively inexpensive compared to the overall budget," Matt said during the discussion.

Staff told the board betterments are paid from the owner’s contingency and are not added to the project’s baseline budget. Director Matt reiterated that the betterments were "within the scope of the $40,400,000 in the budget" and described the funding as savings being put toward project benefits.

Board members had no recorded roll‑call tallies on the record; the motion passed on a voice vote with no further discussion. After the vote, Matt thanked Boughton and NAC for helping preserve the quoted price, saying the suppliers had kept costs from rising.

The board’s action authorizes staff and the project team to proceed with procurement and installation of the audio system and related electrical work. The betterment package was presented to and recommended by the design and construction committee and endorsed by the budget and finance committee prior to the board vote.

Next steps for the betterment include finalizing vendor agreements and scheduling installation to align with ongoing construction milestones; staff said they will manage the work from contingency funds.