City gets 90%‑design update for LEED‑Silver utilities building; staff trims $1.3M in value engineering

Public Utilities Director Brandon Lacy and Garver business leader Justin Rackley briefed council on the near‑final designs for a new utilities building to be sited on roughly 12.5 acres near the Westmoreland pump station. The facility plan includes administrative and operations spaces, three maintenance bays, a wash bay, hardened emergency sleeping space and a dedicated conference/training room; the project was directed to be designed to LEED Silver under a prior council approval from Nov. 18, 2024.

Rackley said the team achieved roughly $1.3 million in reductions at 90% design—largely by lowering ceiling and canopy heights and deferring nonessential build‑outs—and continues to pursue nine value‑engineering options (three accepted to date) to restore the target OPCC to about $12.2 million. Council members asked about solar panels, EV charging, parking/drive‑through options for utility billing customers and whether some deferred items could be phased later; staff said these possibilities would be evaluated against budget and VE tradeoffs.