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Council advances police and fire station projects; awards demolition, site and abatement contracts
Summary
After presentations from the fire and police chiefs, the council approved demolition, asbestos abatement and site-work contracts to begin construction of a new municipal complex that will house both departments.
City officials provided detailed design updates for new police and fire stations and the council approved several contracts to begin construction work.
Fire Chief Anderson presented a rendering and described improvements planned for the new fire station: larger apparatus bays (five bays), separated contamination/clean zones, individualized showers and bathrooms for sleeping quarters, and an integrated three‑story training tower. Anderson said the design addresses inadequate space, decontamination needs and ADA compliance at the current stations.
Police Chief Hawkins described the new police station program and noted the public passed a bond on Aug. 6, 2024 to fund a new facility with roughly $13 million allocated to the project. Hawkins said the department will remain downtown, adjacent to City Hall, and highlighted a community training room, secure interview rooms, a mat room for defensive tactics, a wellness room and secure evidence storage. Hawkins said the new station will be single story with up to seven temporary holding spaces (four single cells and one bullpen configured for three detainees).
To begin site work and demolition, the council awarded a demolition contract for the Trent Motor Inn to BlueStar for $87,800 and approved an asbestos abatement contract for the same building to J. S. Fig (amount $31,700). The council also approved two site-work and utilities contracts with Campo Brothers: $989,437 for the fire station site package 1.1 and $1,178,807 for the police station site package 1.1. City administrators were directed to execute the contracts after legal review.
City Administrator Dean Creech and project consultants (BKV and Detroit Architectural Group, represented by Beau and Brett in the record) said the administration expects to begin asbestos abatement after the state-mandated 10‑day notice and hopes to have earthwork underway before winter. Council members asked about schedule and budget; administration said the overall bond project remains “on track” though site-specific unknowns such as undercutting and compaction needs remain.
The council approved the contracts by motion; the meeting record indicates the actions were moved, supported and ordered by the council.
