Lewiston City Council approves emergency plan, liquor-license endorsement, pool contract and grant application authorization
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Summary
On Feb. 9 the Lewiston City Council approved an updated Nez Perce County Emergency Operations Plan, endorsed a liquor‑service endorsement for the Courtyard by Marriott, awarded a pool‑liner contract to WMS Aquatics, and authorized a BUILD grant application committing a 20% local match for Main Street design costs.
The Lewiston City Council met Feb. 9 and took several routine and action items that the council described as important to public safety, economic development and infrastructure planning.
Emergency operations: The council approved resolution 2026‑03 adopting the Nez Perce County Emergency Operations Plan 2026 after a presentation by Nez Perce County Emergency Manager James Watercheck. Watercheck said the 2026 update adds drought‑declaration language and two quick‑reference sections for the emergency operations center. Councilors asked about shelter readiness, including generator and water availability; Watercheck said the county primarily relies on American Red Cross resources for large‑scale shelter trailer support and offered to follow up on specific facility capabilities.
Liquor license endorsement: The council approved a request from the Courtyard by Marriott to add liquor service to its alcohol‑beverage license. Development Director Shannon Grove explained that the hotel secured a state‑released liquor endorsement (the state controls license availability) and that the hotel’s existing alcohol‑beverage license required a separate liquor endorsement; the council approved the endorsement by voice vote.
Records destruction resolution: City Attorney Jennifer Tangano presented resolution 2026‑01 authorizing destruction of certain human resources records in accordance with Idaho statutes, including personnel files for employees separated in 2015 or earlier and certain COBRA, PERSI and FMLA records from 2020 or earlier. Tangano told the council there are no pending actions preventing destruction and that the process will be supervised by the city clerk; council approved the resolution by roll call.
Pool liner contract award: Parks and Recreation Director Justin Glenn recommended awarding RFP 26‑007 for the Burt Lips pool liner to WM Smith and Associates Inc. (WMS Aquatics) for $294,469.34. Glenn said the workmanship warranty for the installation is one year and that liner materials have an industry life expectancy of about 20–25 years; the council approved the award by roll call and the director said staff will aim to open the pool this summer, weather permitting.
BUILD grant application for Main Street: Public Works Director Dustin Johnson described a federal BUILD grant application to fund the transportation components of Main Street reconstruction tied to deep sewer and utility replacement. Johnson said the design estimate is roughly $3.1 million and that the city’s required local match is about 20% — approximately $663,000. The council authorized submission of the application and committed the local match; Johnson emphasized that receiving the design grant does not guarantee later construction funding but said having design work completed improves the city’s competitiveness for future federal construction grants.
EMS fee schedule amendment and ordinance reading: The council also approved resolution 2026‑08 to amend the EMS fee schedule’s out‑of‑area transfer language consistent with prior council direction and combined the first and second readings of Ordinance 49‑59 to amend city code definitions relating to parking lots.
Other business and next steps: Councilors provided liaison updates, the Lewiston Historic Preservation Commission requested nominations for its Orchard Awards (nominations due April 1, 2026), and the council added a budget discussion to the March 2 work session and requested homeless statistics for presentation at the March 9 meeting. The council adjourned after completing the agenda.
