Minot council hears phased plan, $13.1 million estimate for police station renovation

The Minot City Council on Sept. 2 heard a phased plan for renovating the Minot Police Department that city staff estimate could cost about $13.09 million and take roughly two years to complete.

City Manager’s office staff, Chief Frey and City Engineer Lance Meyer described a multi-phase approach intended to keep police operations in place while crews renovate one area at a time. The plan would begin with second-floor work to move investigations, training and fitness space upstairs, then continue through additional phases. Chief Frey said the approach aims to avoid a full building relocation while work proceeds.

Council members and staff said the administration will seek architectural and engineering teams through a new request for qualifications. Meyer recommended splitting the work into design milestones with multiple council check‑ins—similar to the city’s prior City Hall renovation—so the council can limit design scope if costs rise. Meyer also advised issuing a new RFQ for architecture and related consultants even if the same firm responds, to allow competition and fresh design teams.

Why it matters: The building is actively used by the police department and has aging infrastructure. Council members emphasized fixing core systems—HVAC, electrical and the roof—before discretionary upgrades. The estimated price and the scheduling approach will influence how the project is scoped in the city’s capital plan and whether elements will be bid as alternates.

Key details - Estimated overall project cost: about $13.09 million (presented as a rough, preliminary cost model). - Per‑square‑foot design estimate shown in the presentation: roughly $250 per square foot (presented as a rough order‑of‑magnitude figure). - Project duration presented: about two years from design through construction, with phased occupancy shifts. - Phasing: start with second‑floor work so areas such as investigations and training can move and occupy portions as other spaces are renovated. - Roof: staff reported the roof was replaced a few years ago and is currently under warranty; roof work is not included in the $13.09M estimate unless warranty repairs are insufficient. - HVAC: the presentation and staff confirmed HVAC is included in the architect’s current proposal; staff were still clarifying scope details with the architect. - Patrol squad garage: the presentation identified a proposed patrol squad garage (recommended as an alternate) and estimated its cost around $2 million. - Procurement: staff recommended moving from a space‑needs analysis to a new RFQ for architecture and subconsultants (engineers, interior design, structural) to carry the project into design and construction documents.

What council members asked - Several council members pressed staff to prioritize “bones first” items—HVAC, electrical and structural systems—so that the building’s essential infrastructure is secured before higher‑finish items. - Council members asked about procurement approach, costs tied to owner’s design contingency and how alternates would be structured to keep the project within budget. - One alderman raised concern that the $13.1 million figure would seed expectations in the budget process and might affect property tax assumptions; staff said architectural fees are typically structured as hourly not‑to‑exceed or percentage of an anticipated construction cost and would scale with the selected project scope.

Next steps and context - Staff recommended issuing a new request for qualifications for an architect and related consultants to move the project from space needs into preliminary design and cost estimating, with multiple council check‑ins planned. - Alternatives and bid alternates would be presented so the council could select a base scope and choose add‑alternates at contract award. - The council did not vote on a contract or budget appropriation Sept. 2; the presentation was informational and intended to guide follow‑up procurement and budgeting decisions.

Speakers (first reference shown as in the meeting): - Mayor Ganser, Mayor (led meeting and invited reports) - Interim City Manager (presented project background; name not stated in the public transcript) - Chief Frey, Chief of Police (presented the project concept and phasing) - Lance Meyer, City Engineer (explained procurement, check‑ins, and contingency approach) - Alderman Blessum (asked questions about HVAC/roof and procurement) - Alderman Fuller (asked about the patrol squad garage cost and its share of the budget) - Alderman Olsen (noted prior committee work and rationale for the garage)

Clarifying details (as discussed in the meeting): - Cost model shown in the staff slide: approximately $250 per square foot (order‑of‑magnitude; not a final bid price). - Total project figure shown in the slide deck: approximately $13,089,900 (presented as a preliminary budget estimate; staff said figures are proposed and subject to change). - Patrol squad garage estimated cost: roughly $2,000,000 (presented as a rough estimate and suggested to be treated as a bid alternate). - Procurement approach: staff recommended an RFQ for architecture and subconsultants following completion of the space‑needs analysis, using an hourly not‑to‑exceed or percentage basis for early design services.

Proper names: Minot; EAPC (consultant referenced by staff); Lance Meyer; Chief Frey; Moore Engineering (mentioned elsewhere in the meeting for a different item).

Provenance (selected spans from the public transcript): - Topic intro: transcript excerpt where Chief Frey begins the station presentation (approx. meeting transcript block covering Chief Frey presentation, time ~301–327 seconds). - Topic finish: transcript excerpt where council moves on after the chief’s presentation and follow‑up Q&A (approx. meeting transcript block covering discussion through ~1545 seconds).