Bids put cost of safety building at $31.7 million

Bids for the construction of Port Washington’s new public safety building came in at $28.6 million, slightly less than expected, putting the overall budget at about $31.7 million, officials said Tuesday.

The bids, which were reviewed by the General Government and Finance Committee, still need to be vetted before they are brought to the Common Council for approval.

“These numbers aren’t set in stone yet,” Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said, adding he doesn’t expect significant changes. “The contractors and numbers still need to be vetted.”

He said he expects that to be done by the Common Council’s Tuesday, March 18, meeting, when aldermen will be asked to approve the bids.

General Government and Finance Committee members were pleased that the preliminary numbers came in $1.7 million less than expected.

“I’m thrilled to death,” committee chairman Dan Benning said.

“It’s nice to see there’s a $1.7 million buffer right now,” Ald. Jonathan Pleitner added.

Ric Miller, a partner with MC Group, the city’s personal representative, told the committee that he believes one reason for the favorable prices is the fact the city sought bids early in the year, before contractors were tied up with other projects.

“We got ahead of the pack and that helps,” he said.

The bids for the building to be constructed at the corner of highways LL and 33, which were opened last week, are only for construction of the building, while the overall cost includes such things as equipment, furniture and insurance for the project.

The public safety building work was broken into 14 bid packages, and Vanden Noven told committee members that many of the packages attracted multiple bidders.

“Six packages had at least four bidders,” he said. “Two only had one.”

“Overall I’m happy with the turnout,” Cory Henschel, project executive with C.D. Smith, the general contractor, said.

Henschel added that contractors don’t seem concerned about the possibility of tariffs impacting the cost of the project.

Vanden Noven said in an interview that tariffs are not likely to impact the budget if the city moves quickly to approve the bids.

“The longer you linger on a project, the more you run the risk of costs increasing,” he said.

The bids include a number of alternates, and Henschel said C.D. Smith, MC Group and city staff will analyze those before making a recommendation on whether the city should accept any of them.

Those alternatives include the potential to eliminate a training tower for the fire department, roofing material options and a choice of hose suspension systems.

Maura Riordan, project manager with MC Group, told the committee that the cost of purchasing access rights from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is included in the $31.7 million total bid.

The DOT has said the access rights from both highways LL and 33 will cost the city $210,000, she said — a number that Vanden Noven will negotiate.

“We haven’t really begun negotiating yet,” Vanden Noven said. “I’m confident we will be able to negotiate it down. How much, I don’t know.”

A Casey’s gas station and convenience store previously was proposed for the property, and the access rights at that time were expected to cost about $175,000.

Vanden Noven said the groundbreaking for the proposed public safety building is expected to take place in late April, with construction getting underway this summer.

The building is expected to be substantially complete in July 2026, with both the police and fire departments moving from their downtown Port stations to the new center in summer of 2026.