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Caribou committee reports large cost cuts for new police station; council to review final recommendation Sept. 15
Summary
The City of Caribou Public Safety Building Committee reported that value-engineering and deductive alternates reduced the lowest construction bid from about $13.1 million to $9.69 million; staff and consultants will return with compatibility checks and updated drawings before the council considers awarding a contract.
A city committee on Aug. 25 told the Caribou City Council that value engineering had reduced the low construction bid for a new police station from $13,095,580 to $9,692,623, but the project still requires design updates, compatibility checks and the addition of soft costs before the council will decide whether to move forward.
The Public Safety Building Committee said it has asked the project architect (Artifex and Mans Woodward) and the low bidder, Blaine Casey Contractors of Augusta, Maine, to confirm that proposed value-engineering changes are mutually compatible. The committee also asked Blaine Casey for a 30-day bid extension so the team can resolve outstanding design and sequencing questions; the committee plans to present a full recommendation at the council meeting on Sept. 15.
The committee reported that the deductive alternates—changes such as substituting building materials, revising masonry and metals, and removing selected interior finishes—accounted for the largest portion of the savings. Committee members and staff made clear that the construction figure does not include separately listed “soft costs” (architectural and other professional fees) and other line items; staff estimated the soft costs at about $1,870,000, which, when added to the reduced construction number, still kept the projected project total under previously discussed higher limits but left little contingency for delays or overruns. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that additional design work and updated drawings would likely carry extra fees.
The meeting included public comments and concerns tied to the project. Benjamin Tucker, a local resident, told the council that publicly available information on the police station project has been “radio silence” since November 2024 and called for more transparency and a reconsideration of the project’s scope and budget. Bruce Hagelstein, who said he served on the project committee when the station was a concept, told the council the project has taken too long and said, “This project should have been done and completed 3 years ago.”
Council discussion focused on three practical risks: 1) whether value-engineered material substitutions would raise long-term operating costs (for example, by reducing insulation levels); 2) whether the reduced bid assumed elements that are incompatible with one another (the committee has asked the architect and the construction manager to confirm compatibility); and 3) whether the lowered bid left sufficient contingency for delays and cost escalation. One councilor warned that even an $11.5 million all-in estimate could understate final costs if the committee did not budget for likely overruns.
No contract award was made at the Aug. 25 meeting. The committee directed staff and Artifex/Mans Woodward to return with compatibility confirmations, updated drawings, and final pricing; the council expects a recommendation at the Sept. 15 meeting.
What happens next: staff will collect the consultant responses and present a conforming set of drawings and a final price recommendation at the council’s Sept. 15 meeting. In the meantime, the committee noted the public may attend committee meetings, which are posted on the city website.
