COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County commissioners approved a professional services agreement for public relations firm Kestrel West Inc.

The Boise firm will complete research and handle outreach and public education related to a construction project that would increase the number of courtrooms, office space and parking facilities on the county's downtown campus.

Kestrel West will be paid $28,000 if it completes the scope of work laid out in the agreement. Both the work and pay are broken into two-month blocks.

The county starts by paying Kestrel West a total of $4,000 for the first two months of research work, which is already underway.

During that time, the firm will develop and execute a community fact-finding survey to find out the need "perceived by community leaders" for the additional facilities, Commissioner Todd Tondee said Friday.

"This is about making a decision about whether to go forward or not" with construction, he said. "This is to determine what questions we have to answer for the public."

The county has approximately $5-7 million in savings to pay for some construction, he said.

But the project's rough estimated cost is $28.4 to $42.6 million, he said.

The county would need a voter-approved bond to cover the difference. A two-thirds vote would be needed to borrow that money.

The county has completed a facilities master plan and reviewed space requirements for the downtown campus facilities. In a May 2013 story, The Press reported the commissioners said significant space issues exist.

"We're confident we can help the commissioners learn what they need to learn in a quick and efficient manner," said John Foster, of Kestrel West.

He said a "30-day-out clause" is written into the agreement which gives the county a quick out if needed.

"It's a pretty conservative approach," Foster said. "Our task here is not to tell the county what to do."

They'll work to find the county accurate information to make a decision, Foster said.

"We don't have all the answers," he said.

For May and June, the firm will be paid a total of $6,000 for "intensive and careful development of messaging and outreach plans for all of the education efforts in the months ahead," according to the agreement document.

For July and August, the firm will be paid a total of $8,000 for "working with commissioners and stakeholders to reach out to the community through a series of meetings, media interviews, town halls and/or other efforts," according to the agreement.

For September and October, the firm is scheduled to receive a total of $10,000 for outreach work to educate the public about the county's needs.

"At the end of this phase, (the firm) will work with the commission to analyze the appropriate steps going forward based on the will of the community," according to the agreement.

The county could spend another $42,500 through the agreement. That would cover $30,000 for polling, $8,000 for lodging and travel for Kestrel West representatives coming to Coeur d'Alene, and $4,500 for printed materials.

The firm anticipates needing one or two polls, with each costing between $10,000 and $20,000.

The firm anticipates making about one trip per month to Coeur d'Alene.

Three firms were interviewed before the commissioners selected Kestrel West, Tondee said.

Kestrel West is made up of Kate Haas and Foster, both of whom were fired and sued by Boise-based consulting and lobbying firm Strategies 360 Inc., according to an Idaho Business Review story in March 2012.

After being fired, Haas and Foster started Kestrel West. Strategies 360 alleged Haas and Foster solicited its clients using confidential information such as customer lists.

The lawsuit was settled, Foster said. It was not an "atypical dispute" between employer and former employees, he said.

"We've all moved on - it's in the past," Foster said.

According to Kestrel West's website, it specializes in government affairs, public engagement, perception campaigns, crisis communications and media relations.

"We are lobbyists and political strategists who help leaders manage their reputations, tell compelling stories and outsmart the competition," the firm's website said.