North Liberty police station bid comes in $1 million over, so city looking to cut costs

NORTH LIBERTY - City staff are working to cut costs after a bid for North Liberty's new police station came back about $1 million more than expected.

The North Liberty City Council discussed potential cost-saving measures, totaling about $700,000, to keep the project moving forward. The change orders will likely come back in front of the council in January, and Nick Bergus, the city's communications director, said staff members still hope to get construction on the Cherry Street lot underway next year.

'Not moving forward with building a new police station isn't really an option,” Bergus said. 'Our police force and our town have continued to grow, and the facility that they're in ... really just doesn't fit the need that they have for a facility.”

The North Liberty Police Department is currently in cramped quarters in its 2,600-square-foot police station at 5 E. Cherry St. The building in the past has been a farmhouse, a pediatrician's office and served as City Hall before becoming the police station.

The new police facility would be the first phase of building a civic campus, which will include a city hall, on Cherry Street and reinvest in the oldest part of North Liberty.

The bid from Tricon Construction Group came in at $5.567 million for the original building plan. If the change orders are approved, which include things like eliminating covered parking and changing the exterior from stone to brick, the bid will be reduced to $4.867 million.

'It is staff's opinion that these recommendations do not substantially impact the scope and integrity of the project, and when completed will still provide the police department with an efficient, safe and professional facility,” according to a memo to the council from Ryan Heiar, city administrator.

Last year, the council approved $5 million in general obligation bonds for the project. If the cost savings are approved, another $677,000 needs to be identified for the facility when furnishings and engineering fees are added to the cost, according to Heiar's memo.

In a memo to council, project architect Police Facility Design Group outlined a number of factors as to why the bid was much higher than expected. Among those reasons were increasing the facility's size by more than 800 square feet to better accommodate long-term space needs and the inclusion of 'miscellaneous design elements,” such as the stone exterior and sunshades that add to the design but not function of the building.

'Obviously making sure that we have a police station and facility that does what it needs to do is really important to us. It doesn't make sense to build a police station that doesn't fulfill that scope. So just finding out the best way to do that while lowering the overall cost is important,” Bergus said.

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