Lake Forest approves contracts for new police station; city adds window film and parking resurfacing, advances bond plan

Lake Forest City Council on Oct. 6 approved construction contracts and related purchases to convert an office building at 1925 Field Court into a new police station and advanced the financing plan to issue general obligation bonds to pay for the work.

The council voted 6-0 to award the construction contracts and associated procurement for the project, using an adaptive-reuse approach the city says reduces cost compared with new construction. During subsequent separate votes the council approved the application of ballistic film on all first-floor windows (5-1) and included full resurfacing of the site parking lot as part of the approved project scope; two other optional add-ons — an outdoor deck adjacent to the lunchroom and a turnkey emergency operations center (EOC) build-out — failed to gain council approval.

City staff said the project adapts an existing office building, keeps many usable interior offices, adds secured employee parking and an underground evidence garage, installs a new 25-yard firearms range with updated ventilation, adds lockup and processing areas that meet current Illinois lockup standards, and provides a larger training room and social-services space. Chief John Burke, Lake Forest Police Department, reviewed floor plans and operational features, including an employee-only elevator between the garage and upper floors and dedicated evidence storage with vehicle access for examination.

Project budget…