Wenatchee To Build New Offices, Garage For Some City Works

The city of Wenatchee is moving forward with design work for an office and a garage for some city workers and equipment. 

Get our free mobile app

Plans call for a new Wastewater Treatment Plant Administration Building and a new garage for Public Services Center equipment. 

The city council signed off on the design phase of the two structures at its last meeting. 

Wenatchee Deputy Public Works Director Jessica Shaw says the administration building was built in 1950s and is crumbling. 

"The building is at the end of its life," said Shaw. "If fact, our janitorial service is scared to wax the floor because it might (laugh) come apart." 

The wastewater treatment plant administrative building is located in the 200 block of Worthen Street next to Riverside Park. 

Shaw says a new structure is needed because the current one sits on top of aging infrastructure (the influent pump dry well and motor control rooms), and as such, doesn't meet safety standards, including current National Fire Protection Act standards. 

"Through our planning process, the best alternative was really just to build a new administration building, so that, essentially in the future, the old one will be demolished, and we'll be able to access that aging infrastructure, and also address some of the safety concerns." 

The new building will be between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet and adjacent to wastewater treatment plant operations. 

Meanwhile, the Public Services Center in the 1330 block of McKittrick Street houses the Sewer/Stormwater collections group. But all of the group’s equipment (vactor and camera trucks) is stored at the wastewater treatment plant.  

The new Public Services Center Utility Garage will keep the collection crew and equipment at one location on McKittrick Street and add bays for the water and streets department’s equipment and material storage. 

The new will be roughly 9,600 sq ft, contain seven bays, with an extra bay for the future needs of three departments. Bays will be sized for vactor trucks and will accommodate floor storage when smaller vehicles are parked in the front of a bay. 

Design work for the new buildings will be completely paid for by city utility funds. 

Jacobs Engineering was selected by city staff as the architectural and engineering design consultant with a budget of $873,522.