Committee debates $50,000-scale remediation after rodent contamination at public-access building

The public-access committee spent the bulk of its meeting discussing contamination and damage at the city's public-access media building and the prospect of a multi-thousand-dollar remediation.

A staff member told the committee that "I got the quote from SERVPRO. I was very unhappy with the number and their project scope," and committee members said SERVPRO's recommendation to remove porous surfaces and insulation might exceed what the city needs. Members described visible droppings in ceilings and back rooms and said some insulation shows holes consistent with nesting. One committee participant characterized the site as "pillaged" after years of neglect.

Committee members and staff agreed they would not allow public use of affected rooms until pest treatments and a hazard assessment are complete. They recommended obtaining multiple quotes through an RFQ/RFP process so vendors bid to the same scope, and noted that a remediation in the $20,000'$50,000 range would likely require finance-committee and council approval. The director said he has begun cataloging gear and cleaning racks only where safe; he asked staff to identify equipment that can be repurposed and what should be retired.

Next steps include confirming the pest-remediation schedule (Modern Pest is scheduled for an initial treatment), requesting additional remediation proposals, and taking a procurement recommendation to the finance committee before any large expenditure is made.