Wold Architects (Melissa) presented the municipal facilities condition assessment and space‑utilization master plan to the Village Board on July 22, proposing a multi‑phase, roughly 10‑year plan to address aging village facilities.

The consultant laid out four priorities: (1) a major public works expansion and renovation (priority 1); (2) a new combined public safety facility to improve operations and response times (priority 2); (3) renovations to Village Hall once public safety vacates parts of the current public safety facility (priority 3); and (4) relocating Fire Station 2 into the existing public safety building footprint (priority 4).

Melissa said the public‑works package — a heated garage addition, new cold storage, new salt shed, and relocation of fuel island — has been costed by construction manager Kraus Anderson and came to roughly $24 million in project costs when including a 32% project factor for fees and contingencies. The public safety new‑facility program was sized to village needs and, using 2025 cost estimates at about $500 per square foot, produced a construction and project total that staff and consultant rounded to a roughly $38 million project cost once fees/project factors were applied. Village Hall renovation work to adapt the existing footprint was estimated at approximately $6.4 million, and modest improvements to Station 2 could be in the $1.9 million range if the board chooses to invest beyond a minimal move‑in option.

Consultants recommended phasing work to reduce disruption: begin design and preconstruction for public works (priority 1) with a 2026–2027 target for construction, pursue pre‑design and site selection for a new public safety building (priority 2) while public works is under construction, then shift Village Hall functions into vacated public safety spaces to allow renovation of Village Hall, and finally relocate Fire Station 2 into the reconfigured public safety facility.

Staff emphasized that even under an aggressive schedule the overall program could take roughly a decade from start to finish and that funding planning should begin now. Officials noted budget opportunities over the coming years — existing bonds scheduled to retire and closing of a Tax Increment District (TID No. 3, TitleTown District) in 2029 — that could free levy capacity to help finance the projects.

Board members asked about grants and outside funding; staff said some grant and energy‑efficiency program dollars could be explored but large shares of project funding would likely come from bonding and phased budgeting. Trustees also raised questions about the relocation of community gardens and changes to the soccer field footprint; staff said park‑funded amenities removed would need in‑kind replacement elsewhere under park development policies.

No board action was required; the presentation was informational only. Staff left the board with recommended next steps: public safety pre‑design and site‑selection analysis, design and preconstruction work for priority 1 public works, and continued refinement of schedules and funding scenarios.