Sun Valley council asks city engineer to assess street department facility stability

Sun Valley Mayor Peter Hendricks and the City Council on April 4 held a special workshop to address a list of structural and space problems at the Street Department storage facility and directed the city engineer to inspect whether the building can safely support a second floor before proceeding with capital work.

Street Supervisor Davitt summarized the facility's history and told the council that earlier construction choices have 'expectedly deteriorated' and produced multiple issues, including problems with the ventilation system, roof repair, concrete and rebar repair and a lack of space. Davitt presented four possible options to address some or all of those issues and said staff sought guidance on priorities, including reroofing and ventilation upgrades.

City Engineer Roberts agreed to evaluate structural stability; she told council members that, to her knowledge, the office and storage areas currently upstairs "seem safe," but the council asked for a formal check before considering adding a second floor. Mayor Hendricks asked directly whether the building had been designed to house people; Davitt said the original design allowed for a second floor but prior choices made the structural capacity uncertain.

City Administrator Robertson recommended that the council reject the existing reroofing bids at the April 5 regular City Council meeting to allow time for further review and cost assessment; the council "agreed" during the workshop that the recommendation should be placed on the April 5 agenda. The council did not take a formal vote on capital work at the April 4 special meeting; the next procedural steps are an engineer report on stability and a staff recommendation at the April 5 meeting.

The discussion focused on technical options and sequencing rather than a final decision on a project scope or budget. The council's immediate direction — an engineering assessment and a recommendation to reject the current reroofing bids pending further information — sets the timetable for staff follow-up at the regular meeting the next day.