Council OKs $1M rebuild for police building

A new Coeur d’Alene Police Department storage building to replace the one destroyed in a fire last summer could be completed by year’s end. 

The Coeur d’Alene City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.1 million bid by Ginno Construction for the project that could begin next week. 

The building will have a sprinkler system, which the one that went up in flames last summer did not. 

Ginno completed the original police storage building and the City Hall remodel. Its bid for this project was well under three others, all in the $1.2 million range, which caught the attention of Councilor Christie Wood. 

"Will there be change orders along the way?” she asked. 

Adam Korytko, building maintenance superintendent, said they did not believe so. 

“We're feeling confident with Ginno’s number at that price,” he said. 

According to a staff report, the project will be completed with insurance proceeds. It said the city has received $636,800 and other insurance proceeds will be received as claims are processed. General fund money will also be used.

A battery from a new police e-bike was blamed for the fire that destroyed vehicles, gear, equipment and laptops June 9. The building was the home of code enforcement, animal control and the police department's IT division. It also housed the department's special teams equipment including the SWAT Bearcat vehicle and incident command trailer. 

When the building was acquired in 2016, a sprinkler system wasn't required.

Following the investigation into the cause of the blaze, the remnants of the building were demolished and the site was graded, the city report said.

The new storage building will have the exact footprint of its predecessor. It will also have a charging station for lithium-ion batteries.

Despite losses in the millions, police have maintained daily patrols and operations.   

“There has been no reduction in service to the community,” Capt. Dave Hagar previously told The Press.