Council accepts police station construction documents, authorizes bid preparation

The Caribou City Council voted to accept construction documents and move forward to prepare bid documents for a proposed replacement police station.

Councilors reviewed a cost estimate delivered by the design team Artifex and discussed alternates and potential deductions. One council member summarized the current estimate as “the total project cost at 10.178,” and staff said alternates could reduce the number toward about $9.9 million depending on selections and bids.

Councilors and staff stressed that the construction documents are not final in every administrative detail; the manager said some dates and minor drafting items still require updating before the bid package is released. The manager told the council the design team had delivered the construction bid documents and an A/E cost estimate by March 15.

Costs and scope drew concern. A councilor said, “I fully support a new police station, but I continue to believe that we are building a police station that is too big and too expensive for our needs, and I cannot support this plan,” while others said the estimate is within the mandate the council previously set to keep the project under a threshold.

The council voted on a motion to accept the construction documents and direct staff to work with Artifex to prepare the project for bid. Councilor Bagley voted No; Councilors Kelly, Lovewell, Terrio and Watson voted Aye. Motion carries, 4–1.

Council staff said they aim to complete final revisions and submit the documents to be advertised this month, with bids expected back in time for review at a May or June meeting.