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Post Falls council approves full design of consolidated Public Works operations center with fleet addition
Summary
Council voted to expand the Public Works Operations Center design to include Streets, Water, and Fleet operations after staff said a phased "starter" build would not solve operational inefficiencies. The expanded design raises the design fee and increases project costs; council approved amending the architect contract to cover the fuller scope.
The Post Falls City Council voted to expand the design of a consolidated Public Works Operations Center, approving an amendment to the city’s architectural contract that will fund a full design including a fleet maintenance shop.
Public Works Director John Beichum told the council the city purchased roughly 15 acres for a future operations center in 2021 and that consolidating Streets, Water and Fleet operations on one campus would resolve day‑to‑day inefficiencies caused by splitting crews and vehicles between multiple sites. He said a previously considered "starter" approach — building a smaller facility now and expanding later — would still require crews to remain split and would generate higher total costs over time.
Beichum presented third‑party cost estimates. The architect’s construction estimator produced a base bid estimate in the low‑to‑mid‑teens million range for the recommended design; including soft costs raised the project estimate. Adding a dedicated fleet shop increases the total project cost estimate further (staff presented a total near the high‑teens million dollars when the fleet component is included). To cover expanded scope, staff proposed increasing the architect’s design fee from $757,000 to $941,000 and moving ahead with full design. Councilors said favorable bid conditions and construction efficiencies from doing the campus work at once argued for proceeding now.
Councilors debated phasing, funding sources and operational savings. Staff noted potential offsets including reallocation of recent budget savings and a recommended buy‑in by water and wastewater utilities for their proportional share of the site; staff also suggested drawing some funding from the vehicle replacement fund and shifting a portion of earlier project savings. City staff said the facilities fund — boosted by unspent FY25 funds and a $4 million internal transfer during the budget process — can absorb the project if the Council proceeds.
After discussion, the Council authorized staff to amend the architect’s contract for the full design that includes the fleet addition and directed staff to pursue the funding adjustments discussed at the meeting. The motion passed on a roll call vote.
