Port moving quickly on safety building

City poised to acquire land from county, seek bids for construction of $33.5 million police, fire station building that is to begin later this year

A RENDERING BY Bray Architects shows the fire station portion of the proposed public safety building at the corner of highways LL and 33. The fire station would face Highway LL while the police station would face Highway 33.
By 
KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM
Ozaukee Press staff

The City of Port Washington’s plans for a $33.5 million public safety center are proceeding quickly, with the city preparing to purchase the almost seven-acre parcel at the corner of highways LL and 33 for the center from Ozaukee County.

On Tuesday, the Common Council agreed to exercise its option to buy the land for $275,000, a transaction that could take place in the next 30 days, City Attorney Matt Nugent said.

“In order to get this project moving, this is a step that has to occur,” Nugent said.

Aldermen also voted to eliminate a conditional use permit and land covenant it has held on the property since 2018, when plans called for a Casey’s gas station and convenience store to be built there — plans that later fell through.

Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said the city is waiting for an agreement with the Department of Transportation to allow access to the site from both highways LL and 33.

The DOT recently informed the city it had received an appraisal determining the value of the access, he said earlier this year, noting that when Casey’s planned to build on the site, the access rights were expected to cost about $175,000.

Planning for the public safety building is taking shape, and the project should go out for bids in the coming weeks, Maura Riordan of MC Group, the city’s personal representative, said.

The city still needs to approve a contract with construction manager CD Smith, something that had been expected to be done by now but has been delayed for a couple weeks, Riordan said.

Once the contact is approved, she said, the project will go out to bid.

There will be 14 bid packages, each for a specific aspect of the work, Riordan said.

After the bids are reviewed by CD Smith, they will be forwarded to the Common Council for approval, Vanden Noven said.

“A lot’s going to be happening in the next two months,” Riordan said.

Despite that, she said, the project is largely on schedule.

“We’re on target to get the site work done, the structure up and the roof on before winter,” Riordan said. Site work is to be completed next spring, adding the project is expected to take 14 months to complete.

“We’re on target to hit all these dates,” she said.

Riordan told aldermen that the preliminary budget of $33.5 million appears to be holding, noting the Dec. 19 estimate for the total cost of the structure, not including financing costs, was pegged at $33.34 million.

“It (the latest estimate) confirms our $33.5 million estimate from October is accurate,” she said.

Of that, $28.6 million is the construction cost. The cost to buy the land and acquire access rights from the Department of Transportation is set at $430,000. Another $2 million is for design and engineering and almost $1 million is for furnishings and fixtures.

Ald. Mike Gasper asked if the firms had

considered the impact President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs could have on the price of the building.

“Have there been any concerns that the bids may come in higher due to bidders wanting to protect themselves from potential tariff issues?” he asked.

“If we get out to bid in next two weeks ... and we’re awarding in April, we should be safe,” Riordan said.

Mayor Ted Neitzke noted that he asked that local businesses and contractors be included in the list of those asked to bid on the project.

Ald. John Sigwart asked Riordan to define the “guaranteed maximum price” of $33.5 million, and Riordan said the contracts approved by the city will guarantee the cost.

Just as with other projects, the bids should hold as long as the city doesn’t make changes in the project, Neitzke said.

Groundbreaking is expected within two months of the awarding of contracts, Vanden Noven has said.

That would ensure the police and fire departments could move into the new building in the summer of 2026, he said.

The public safety building is needed, officials said, because the current police and fire stations are inadequate.

The fire station is overcrowded, isn’t handicapped accessible and lacks accommodations for women and paramedics who will be working around the clock and need a place to sleep, they said.

The police station is also inadequate, both in terms of space and infrastructure, they said.  Ventilation isn’t adequate, nor is the garage, there isn’t enough space — and proper spaces — for everything from offices to interview rooms and the layout is not conducive to police operations.

Police and Fire Commission Chairman Jim Biever told aldermen Tuesday that when interviewing candidates for the city’s full-time paramedic positions, “nearly every candidate noted that working from a new station was an important factor in their applying to work for the Port Washington Fire Department.”

However, the cost of the building was originally projected to cost $35 million, a pricetag that shocked aldermen. While the cost has decreased since then, it is expected to significantly increase taxes.

Officials have said a $33.5 million borrowing will result in a tax increase of $573 on a house with an assessed value of $300,000 beginning this year.

Feedback:

Click Here to Send a Letter to the Editor

Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-3494
 

CONNECT


User login