Energy-efficient police department still a top priority for Moscow

The Moscow City Council and community members want the new police station to meet the city’s needs but in an energy-efficient and sustainable manner.

That environmentally-friendly mindset does not appear to have faded.

On Monday night, the council approved a professional services agreement with Lombard/Conrad Architects of Boise for an amount not to exceed $479,000 — 8.6 percent of the total estimated construction cost of the project.

The proposed design fees include the assessment and analysis of the more than 20 sustainable components developed by the Moscow Sustainable Environment Commission.

Moscow Community Development Director Bill Belknap said that list of sustainable components will continue to be refined by the SEC.

He said it is anticipated the city will use the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a popular green building certification program, to assist in the design process.

But Belknap added the city does not expect to go through the $150,000 LEED certification process at this time because of the additional $150,000 cost.

Many members of the SEC and city council have expressed the desire to use that money for sustainable elements of the building instead.

Belknap said the building will be “solar ready,” meaning it will have the structural capacity and loading to carry solar panels and include pathways to electrical and mechanical rooms to provide that connection.

He said the goal is to have the project ready to bid in January and construction completed in 2021.

The new police facility will be funded by a 10-year, $9.64 million general obligation bond approved by voters in May; $7.89 million of the total will fund the construction of the facility.

In other business, the council approved:

An ordinance to amend the city code so that it complies with FBI regulations regarding background check requirements for city licensees. Moscow Police Chief James Fry said the department provides all background checks for all licensing in the city. The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Law Unit determined the council-approved changes would allow the MPD to conduct background checks. Fry said the federal agency has allowed the department a grace period to do background checks for licensing, but the amended city code will officially meet the required state and federal standards.

The request of the owner of Appaloosa Trailer Court on the Old Pullman Highway outside the city limits to connect the mobile home park to the city’s sanitary sewer system with certain conditions. The property has 66 mobile home spaces, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality notified the property owner the septic tank serving the mobile home park is not compliant with DEQ wastewater treatment regulations.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.