Council awards $658,000 contract for police department perimeter fence funded by DOJ grant

The Farmington City Council voted July 21 to award a $658,000 contract to Rochon Corporation for construction of a perimeter security fence around the police department and authorized the mayor and city clerk to sign the contract. The city said the project is intended to protect critical infrastructure, including the police evidence room and the municipal fiber hub. "The city or the Farmington Police Department seeks to improve the security of its critical infrastructure, including the city's fiber hub and the police evidence room by constructing a perimeter fence around the police department," Sergeant Sauter told the council during the bid‑award presentation. Plans and specifications were prepared with Wold Architects and Engineers and the project was publicly bid in accordance with municipal procurement laws and federal grant conditions. Staff reported four bids were received; one bid came in at or under budget. The project will be paid with a federal Department of Justice grant, and staff emphasized timeline constraints tied to the grant. The design included an alternate to connect the perimeter fence directly to the building and separate public and squad parking; staff recommended not awarding that alternate because it would likely be affected by a future police facility expansion. Council members expressed support for the project and appreciation that the work is grant‑funded rather than paid from local taxes. After receiving bids, the council formally awarded the contract to Rochon Corporation for $658,000 and authorized execution of the construction contract. Council members recorded affirmative roll‑call votes for receipt of bids, award of contract, and authorization to execute the contract. Staff said they coordinated with grant administrators about funding deadlines and hoped to proceed quickly to contract to meet the grant schedule. Jacob Wollensack of Wollensack Architects attended the meeting and was available to answer technical questions; Sergeant Sauter and city staff said the project design considered future expansion and tried to avoid site work that would be undone by a planned facility addition.