City selects BKV to design new police department renovation

Marshfield officials announced that BKV has been selected to design the renovation of the city's police department, a choice the selection committee made unanimously and forwarded to the council for approval.

The selection matters because the design will guide construction, costs and how police operations are organized in the new facility.

The selection committee included Commissioner Meek and Mayor Lewis, officials said. A presenter identified as the police chief told the commission that the committee was impressed with BKV's experience designing police facilities and that Josh Moretz is preparing the final contract documents. "We unanimously picked BKV at that time, and they were, absolutely just a phenomenal company," the chief said.

Committee members discussed proposals from a large field of firms. The presenter said the selection review considered staffing and consultant mixes in proposals; he cited a range of bids and said the proposals reviewed included as many as 13 firms, with bids that he described as running from about $372,000 to $750,000. The presenter credited BKV's presentation and track record in police design as key reasons for the selection.

The commission did not vote on project funding in this discussion; the presenter said Josh Moretz was "writing up the final contracts" and that the city expected to move forward with the contract "within the next week or so." No contract amount or construction schedule was announced at the meeting.