Vactor truck exposes Public Service Building foundation

A vactor truck crew from Roach Construction of Genesee, Idaho, Monday conduct minimal excavations along the back of the Public Service Building to determine the type of foundation beneath the building. The vactor evacuated three holes along the base of the building on the alley side to reveal a foundation which appears to have been made of rock and mortar. The Public Service Building has sustained some damage due to settling and some spaces in the building have been blocked off. Also conducted Monday was a check of the building's roof drain system to determine if water off the roof was going into spaces beneath the structure. A camera was used to check the drains, and water was drained down the system. The tests indicated water off the roof drained to the city street drain system and not into the space beneath the building. County commissioners received an update on the project which is expected to be incorporated into a study on how to approach solving the settling problem. Public Works Director Mark Story and Facilities Director Brandy Wigen met with the county commissioners to discuss the project during the Monday work session. The PSB was orignally built in 1912. Storey told commissioners the exsisting base soil had "junkie" dirt placed on top to make a flat area for building where, at the time, was river bank. the soil under the northwest corner is expcted to be poorer than other places.