Cottage Grove board agrees to move police station project to bid, with solar as an alternate and value‑engineering review

The Village of Cottage Grove Village Board of Trustees voted June 23 to advance the proposed police department facility to the bid stage while directing staff to list the building’s solar array as an alternate and to explore targeted value‑engineering and allowance reductions.

The decision follows more than two hours of public testimony from current and former Cottage Grove officers, residents and multiple trustee presentations that examined alternatives including contracting with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, buying adjacent land, building a smaller facility, repurposing the Municipal Services Building (MSB), and using pre‑engineered metal building construction.

Trustees said the village has an urgent need for updated police facilities. Chief Gary, speaking as part of staff presentations, emphasized safety and operational shortcomings at the current building and described how the proposed design adds interview, evidence‑processing and community spaces. “I want this police station to be something that people go there for good things,” Chief Gary said, describing a community room and secure investigative spaces that would be used for multi‑agency meetings and emergency operations coordination.

Several current officers…