Police station cost estimate falls $9 million with construction bid

The moment Wilmette officials “have been waiting years for” came to the forefront Tuesday night as the Village’s Board of Trustees all but locked in the company that will soon become “part of the legacy of Wilmette.”

Wilmette trustees during their Feb. 10 meeting reviewed construction bids for the town’s new police station, a proposed 53,000-square-foot facility that’s been in the works for decades.

Although no official vote was taken during the session, trustees showcased a clear consensus to affirm village staff’s recommendation of a construction bid from Illinois-based Henry Brothers.

And much to the delight of trustees and village staff, the project is on track for a 17.8%, or $8.98 million, reduction in overall cost from the previous projections.

Henry Brothers was one of three prequalified firms that submitted bid packages earlier this year for the project. The company’s submission came in at $33.2 million, the lowest of the three bids.

Trustees are expected to approve final construction documents for the project Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Officials said the contract will likely reach $34.78 million with a 2.5% contingency, or approximately $830,000, to cover change orders that fall outside of the built-in allowances. The contract also includes an additional $750,000 of added contingencies that will cover a series of expenses.

Project engineers had previously estimated that construction work alone for the project would come in closer to $39 million. Planners and village officials for months now have estimated the project would cost the village $50.5 million.

With the construction work coming in significantly less expensive, officials said on Feb. 10 the total cost estimate is down to $41.52 million.

Costs strictly related to the building process make up nearly $35 million of that budget. Bond and temporary facility costs total nearly $1 million while professional service costs ($3.78 million), furniture, fixtures and equipment ($1.28 million) and additional contingencies ($613,674) make up the rest of the current estimate.

Mark Rodgers — of CCS International, the firm managing the project for the village — said Henry Brothers has built more than 20 new facilities for municipalities, school districts and park districts, which total more than 8.2 million square feet and are valued at more than $1 billion worth of work.

The company most recently completed a new 35,000-square-foot police station for the Village of Mokena, a project in the southwest suburbs that Rodgers said mirrors Wilmette’s in several ways.

“We are generally excited to get started,” said Calvin Rink, the business development manager at Henry Brothers who will also serve as the firm’s project manager, to the Village Board. “Our team is ready to bring our expertise, collaborative spirit and unwavering dedication to delivering a building that meets and exceeds your expectations.”

Village President Senta Plunkett welcomed the team to Wilmette while sharing the importance of the project.

“You’re going to be part of the legacy of Wilmette,” she said. “This police station is going to be very important to us. It’s something that we’ve been planning for 20 years and something that once built we expect to be there for the next 50, 70, 100 years.”

Trustees during the meeting also directed staff to move forward with three sustainability alternates for the project, including a green roof that officials said would aid in better stormwater management, increase biodiversity and improve the roof’s life by two or three times.

Solar panels and electric charging stations are two additional sustainability elements now moving forward as well. Planners said the panels will help generate renewable energy, reduce grid dependency and model best practices for the community.

These additions added approximately $400,000 to Henry Brothers’ bid, according to village documents.

The board showed some slight hesitations prior to committing to all of the sustainability elements but ultimately reached an agreement that the features were best for the short- and long-term future of the facility.

“This is a building that we are building for the next hopefully 50, 60, 70 years and I do think that it’s important that we send a message that we are building a new building that is as environmentally conscious as reasonably can be,” Trustee Michael Lieber said.

Trustees are in total expected to approve four contracts at their next board meeting: the construction pact with Henry Brothers, final contracts with project architect FGMA and owner’s representative firm CCS, and a deal for asbestos abatement.

Village Manager Michael Braiman said demolition of the current police station is expected to begin in April of this year. The goal, per planners, is to have the new station finished by November 2027; however, the winter conditions in early 2027 could play a factor in the ultimate completion date.

Wilmette officials since February of 2024 have held nearly three dozen public meetings where the town’s new police station has been a topic of discussion.

As previously reported by The Record, Wilmette officials renewed conversations around a new police station in May of 2023 when the board of trustees approved a needs assessment and land use study.

The new station, according to project planners, will feature a 44-person multi-person room that will allow the police department to host regional police trainings. It will also include dedicated, private space for social services.

Modern training and fitness spaces, including defensive tactics space and a basement firing range, will also be included in the new station’s footprint. Room for a digital forensics lab and evidence processing and storage are also planned.

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