City to consider Blackrock presentation, change orders

SANDPOINT — A presentation on a cleanup plan for the Panhandle Smelting and Refining Company Site will be given at Thursday’s Sandpoint City Council meeting. 

This project is expected to provide a safer place along identified waterfront areas with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Past assessments identified the following chemicals of concern in soil at the Blackrock site: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. These chemicals can contribute to human health risks. In general, PSRC areas associated with ore stockpiling, processing, or smelting operations had the highest metal concentrations, officials said. These results prompted a cleanup project that will involve excavation, potential closures of portions of the Ponderay Bay Trail, and some recreational area closures. 

The City Council will also consider a change order agreement with B&E Electric for SCADA upgrades. At its March 20 meeting, the council approved a contract award with the company for supervisory control and data acquisition upgrades.

“SCADA systems are used for controlling, monitoring, and analyzing industrial devices and processes,” city officials said in an agenda report at the time. “Simply put, SCADA systems gather and quickly analyze real-time data, and assist in automating processes that would otherwise take a much larger crew of staff and resources. For example, the city of Sandpoint uses SCADA in our water treatment plant to monitor and automate the control processes of bringing safe and clean drinking water to the faucets of Sandpoint residents.”

Since the beginning of the project, three sewer lift stations were identified to have faulty sensors and need replacement. 

“These sensors are one of the most vital components to a lift station and are critical for the safety of lift stations and surrounding areas,” officials said in the agenda packet. “These sensors monitor levels of fluid in the wet well and are used for accurate pump control, to sense high and low levels, and to send signals to the controller to communicate to the pumps to run.”

The change order being considered will add $7,932.00 for the replacement of these level sensors. This will result in a revised contract price of $1,323,457.00.

The council will also consider amendments to contracts with Logan Simpson Design Inc. for Comprehensive Plan consulting services, and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. for professional services related to contract city planning work.

Acceptance of a $50,000 Idaho Gem Grant for the Travers Skatepark expansion project is scheduled for consideration. The grant will help fund the purchase and installation of outdoor LED lighting for the skatepark’s second phase currently under construction, officials said.

A change order and contract amendment to an agreement between the city of Sandpoint and Dreamland Skateparks LLC for the design-build construction services for the skatepark project is also expected to be approved. Unforeseen challenges with the existing soil have justified a request for an additional $12,731. 

“The contractor was unable to realize proper compaction and as advised by the geotechnical engineers, they are required to remove and replace the existing soil with a fill material and structural fabric that will support the load of the concrete skatepark and reduce any potential future cracking,” city officials said on an agenda report. 

A public hearing and decision on the final plat for Westpointe Place, a four-lot subdivision in the vicinity of Ontario Street and U.S. 2 is also expected to take place. 

Under new business, the council is expected to consider a proposed ordinance amending the city’s “exempted signs” code. In recent years an unintended consequence of the off-premise sign prohibition that is an element of the current code has emerged as opportunities for public/private partnerships through which local and regional businesses sponsor public art installations have become more common.

The amendment being considered would create a new exemption for “off premise signs, that may contain letters or numbers, for the purpose of sponsoring public art, parks amenities, or recreational activities/programs at city facilities.”

This change will not open the door for private off-premise advertising outside of public facilities, and is worded to strictly the opportunities for such advertising to projects initiated by or sanctioned by the city itself, city officials said.

This meeting will take place Thursday, June 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Sandpoint City Hall, 1123 Lake St, due to the Juneteenth holiday. The public can attend in person or online at sandpointidaho.gov.