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Committee pushes immediate ventilation fixes for public works shop, also recommends moving ahead on relocation design
Summary
Committee recommended a budget amendment for immediate ventilation and electrical upgrades at the public works shop (estimated $30,100) and separately recommended that the assembly initiate design and engineering for relocation to a 15‑acre site (design estimate $300,000). Members debated whether to first pay for a $20,000–$25,000 condition assessment or proceed directly to design.
The Skagway Municipality Public Works Committee recommended immediate ventilation and electrical upgrades at the municipal public works shop and separately urged the assembly to consider design work to relocate the shop to the 15‑acre site.
Deputy manager briefed the committee on the building’s health and safety problems, saying the workspace lacks proper ventilation, filters become ‘‘gunked up within a week,’’ and work areas are congested. She estimated the immediate electrical upgrades and ventilation equipment would cost approximately $30,100 and said no funding currently exists in the budget for that work.
She described a longer‑term set of options: commissioning a health, life and safety assessment (estimated $20,000–$25,000) to catalog necessary repairs, or initiating design work this year to relocate the shop to the 15‑acre site (design estimate about $300,000) so the municipality could build a new facility in 2027–28 and free up buildable property downtown.
Public Works Director Ames said design costs vary with complexity and cited past projects to explain the 10% guideline for design relative to total project cost; he described foundation, geotech, septic and utility requirements beyond a pre‑engineered metal building.
Assemblyperson Potter said she inspected the shop and urged immediate ventilation work, adding she worried staff have been breathing poor air for years and questioned whether a $25,000 condition assessment would simply recommend the larger $300,000 project. Potter moved that staff prepare a budget amendment for the ventilation and electrical improvements and separately prepare a recommendation to the assembly to initiate design and engineering for relocation to the 15‑acre site. The motions were seconded and approved by the committee.
Why it matters: committee approval clears staff to prepare the budget request for immediate remediation and to plan for relocation design work; both steps would move the project into the assembly’s decision process and potentially into the capital improvement program.
What’s next: staff will prepare the budget amendment and the relocation design recommendation for assembly consideration. If the assembly approves funding for design, the municipality would begin engineering and design work to support a 2027–28 construction timeframe.
