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 detailed operational and safety hazards at the existing facility. Anthony Caratco, a patrol officer of 20 years, said staff and equipment needs have outgrown the Progress Drive location. “We have quite simply outgrown the current facility due to staff doubling in size and the need for more space for equipment, vehicles, and technology,” Caratco said. Detective Brian Carter and Sergeant Jessica Frutiger described cramped circulation, unsecured evidence processing adjacent to public areas and shared garage access with public works as examples of why new space is needed.

Trustees discussed alternatives at length. Trustee Paula Benzo presented a memo asking staff to explore contracting police services with Dane County; staff and several trustees raised concerns that a county contract could reduce locally accountable, continuous coverage and would affect state supplemental aid and maintenance‑of‑effort calculations. Trustee Pete Dahl and others proposed a value‑engineering (VE) exercise and suggested examining pre‑engineered metal construction or modest additions to MSB as potential cost‑saving options. Architectural and cost consultants on the call said a full redesign to a different construction type would take months and cost an estimated $300,000–$400,000 to return to bid, while a targeted redesign would likely be faster but yield smaller savings.

Staff and consultants provided cost context during the meeting: the architectural firm estimated roughly $620 per square foot for the proposed building in current market conditions, with an annual escalation figure roughly around 5–6 percent noted as typical; a redesign estimate to rephase the contract documents was placed in the $300,000–$400,000 range; and removing the solar scope was discussed as roughly a $500,000 savings. Consultants also said the pre‑bid estimate showed the project coming in approximately $3 million under the previously approved budget point, though trustees asked staff to continue pursuing modest reductions.

Following discussion, Trustee Murphy moved and the motion was seconded to continue the project to bid, include the solar array as an alternate (so the village would receive pricing but could omit the solar scope from the contract), and direct staff to pursue value‑engineering and allowances review before finalizing bid documents. The board took a voice vote; the presiding officer announced the motion carries.

Trustees and staff agreed on two near‑term followups: (1) staff and the architect will prepare a concise list of VE items and allowance opportunities for internal review and (2) if significant cost pressures appear when final bids arrive, the board will reconvene to consider next steps. Several trustees said they prefer not to delay the project further; others asked staff to return specific dollar figures and to clarify the maximum contingency and the board’s “top‑end” threshold if bids were to exceed the Financial Management Plan.

Trustees also asked staff to continue to examine future land options and how the MSB building could be reconfigured after police relocate, and requested that staff provide clear estimates of the tax‑rate impact tied to the project schedule and anticipated debt service timing.

The board’s action moves the village into the procurement phase; bids and any significant change orders or budget exceedances would return to the board for approval. The motion did not adopt the solar array as a guaranteed part of the base contract—rather the array will be priced as an add alternate to allow the board to make a later decision based on final bids and priorities.

Quotes used in this article came directly from meeting participants listed in the attribution whitelist.