CHENEY — The City Council approved several portions of an expansive remodel of the Finance Department space at City Hall as part of their busy Jan. 26 meeting.
The council originally approved the beginning of the work at their Nov. 10 meeting, which included a $64,630 labor and materials bid from Big Timber Contractors, LLC. The city was also to provide about $34,000 of materials for the project, including an upgrade of the foyer’s HVAC system, roll-down fire-proof teller doors for the three new teller stations built where the former front wall of the department used to be and the actual work stations — the latter of which came via an $11,430.68 expenditure request at the Jan. 26 meeting.
Finance Director Cindy Niemeier said the desks, which are furnished by Workpointe, are the type that can be raised and lowered, allow employees to sit or stand as needed. Also included is a separation wall for each cubicle
“It’s in line with how things are today in separating people so that they don’t pass germs and so forth,” Niemeier said.
The desks and separation walls should complete the first phase of the project. As part of that, a $6,000 change order was approved to cover some additional work to the stations that were discovered during construction and needed modifications, Light Department Director Steve Marx said.
At the Jan. 26 meeting, council approved change order three – a $46,500 appropriation that covers work under Phase 2 of the project, which will be construction of additional office and conference room space in the department. Marx said that amount included Big Timber’s $33,815 bid for the work plus contingencies.
Marx said construction of the first phase should run through the end of February, with the second phase work of the interior offices scheduled to begin once that is completed.
“We probably won’t finish this project until the end of March, beginning of April, if everything goes well on construction,” he said.
As for a council question about a grand reopening, both Niemeier and Marx didn’t have a firm answer on when that would happen — but City Administrator Mark Schuller did.
“Really, that question on the re-opening should be for Gov. Inslee, when he allows City Hall or municipalities to reopen their facilities,” Schuller said.
Funding for the project comes from money the city received from the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in April. The city was eligible to receive $372,300 in CARES funding, which can be used for COVID-19-related expenses.
Other council agenda items at the meeting included approving renewal of an ACCESS contract between the Police Department and Eastern Washington University’s Police Department for records storage and processing. Police Chief John Hensley said the city and the university have had the contract for five years now, and the new agreement would pay Cheney $1,000 a month while providing insurance to EWUPD about the safety and access of their records.
“The work level, quite frankly, has not gone up at all, in fact it’s been less than we expected,” Hensley said.
The council also approved a $17,800 purchase of a pair of switches, along with installation labor, from the city’s information technology provider Itrinium. Niemeier said the existing switches were old and malfunctioning and, while budgeted for replacement this year, in need of immediate replacement.
“All of a sudden, now they’re dying,” she added.
Other resolutions passed at the meeting were a pair of 25-year licensing agreements with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to install and maintain fiber optic lines and a water main under their rail lines.
– John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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