Lewiston envisions new campus at Regence BlueShield property

Three buildings of Regence BlueShield of Idaho in Lewiston could become a part of a new city of Lewiston campus.

That idea is outlined in a City of Lewiston Facility Feasibility Analysis dated in July by Clearwater Financial. A partially redacted copy was obtained by the Lewiston Tribune through a records request this week.

Lewiston City Hall, as well as the Bell Building, the Lewiston Police Station and the police training center could be combined in a single location, according to the analysis.

A map in the analysis shows that location would be on the southwest corner of 21st Avenue and 17th Street where Regence is.

“The city is considering acquiring Buildings A, B and C along with adjacent parking lots,” according to the analysis, which doesn’t name Regence.

The insurance provider has a copy of the analysis and is very early in discussions, which have not reached a stage where specifics have been outlined, said Lou Riepl, a spokesperson for the insurance provider.

Lewiston is the corporate headquarters of Regence BlueShield of Idaho and it has close to 500 employees in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley area, but a large share of them work from home, Riepl said.

The number of employees at the Lewiston office of Regence varies from day to day depending on how many teams are having in-person trainings or meetings there, he said.

A diagram in the analysis shows a fourth Regence building, labeled D, that would not be part of city operations.

“Initial discussions with the property owner indicate an openness for the use of (a parking garage),” according to the analysis.

Access to a fitness center in the parking garage is “uncertain,” according to the analysis.

The document lists a number of advantages to centralizing city services into a different, single location such as avoiding $10 million in deferred maintenance and improved security.

That price tag includes roof replacements, upgrades to boilers and central air units, restroom renovations, electrical repairs and mold abatement.

Several departments have a “high potential for water seepage and or flooding during large storms, including the city’s main IT server space and police evidence currently housed in the basement of the police department,” according to the analysis.

The operations that might be moved are spread over four locations and together have about 50,000 square feet, a little less than the 53,000 square feet at Regence.

City Hall is at 1134 F St., more than half a mile from the Bell Building at 215 D St. where other city services are located.

The office of the mayor, finance, human resources, public information, legal and information systems and security are at City Hall.

Community development, including the employees who process building permits, is at the Bell Building with public works administration, engineering and geographic information system employees.

The police station is about a block away from City Hall at 1224 F St. and about 2 miles from the police training center at 2419 16th Ave.

If those buildings were sold they could potentially generate about $9 million and be returned to the tax rolls, according to the analysis.

But those gains could be offset by the buildings at the new site being removed from the tax rolls, according to the analysis.

Exactly why the analysis focuses on the Regence site is not clear. The report makes no mention of vacant commercial spaces such as the ones that housed Kmart, Shopko and Safeway in Lewiston before those stores closed.

What happens next is not clear. The city council and mayor discussed the analysis at a meeting this week, but took no action on it.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.