At its Dec. 23 meeting, the Bannock County Board of Commissioners approved two final change orders (No. 12 and No. 13) for the Headwaters Youth and Visitor Center (YVC) project that clear unused contingency funds and allow the contractor to submit a final invoice and release retainage. Shanda (chief care officer) and Dan Kendall (facilities director) said the county’s due diligence returned some unused contract amounts and that Headwaters will reconcile and return funds; commissioners welcomed closing the chapter on the project and voted to approve the change orders by voice vote.

Other administrative actions approved at the meeting included: authorizing the Lava Springs Chamber to borrow county bleachers for the Fire Nights festival (with the chamber to provide insurance and return equipment in good condition), postponing publication of a courthouse parking‑lot ITB until January to maximize contractor outreach, moving the road‑and‑bridge storage‑building bid deadline into March (addendum 3) to resolve site questions, and noting that the department received multiple RFQs/RFS for event‑center master planning and fuels‑reduction work with recommendations expected in early January.

The commission also signed and approved routine reports and grants: the annual road & bridge street report due Dec. 31, an underage‑alcohol enforcement grant for overtime patrols recommended for signature, the FY '25 vessel (waterways) financial report, and the Dec. 16 jail inspection report; commissioners approved resolutions 2025‑89 (records destruction authorization) and 2025‑90 (tax‑cancellation requests) and adopted the consent agenda after discussion of a juvenile detention invoice that exceeded its budget and an $800 reimbursement claim that will be voided and resubmitted with correct documentation.

Why it matters: The Headwaters change orders close out a capital project with modest net savings on the contractor portion; procurement timing adjustments aim to maximize bidder interest; and grant and report approvals maintain statutory and grant compliance ahead of year‑end deadlines.