Cross Plains approves $7.01 million contract for new village hall and police station

Cross Plains — The Village of Cross Plains Board of Trustees voted Oct. 6 to award a contract to Brickell Brothers Inc. to build a new 17,500-square-foot village hall and police station, approving a $7,008,300 base bid and a $16,375 alternate bid for site work and rest-station concrete.

Board members and residents framed the vote as a response to ongoing structural failures, accessibility shortcomings and safety risks at the village’s current facility. Becky Ward, a resident who addressed the board during public comment, said the existing building “poses unacceptable risks to staff health, personal safety, and essential confidentiality of village operations,” and described repeated water intrusion, sewer odors and lack of secure spaces for confidential meetings.

The vote followed roughly 20 minutes of discussion in which trustees questioned cost estimates, financing and whether local bidders had been given sufficient preference. President Lankfeld said the village had spent years planning the project and had narrowed sites and plans, and that delaying could raise costs. “We did look at a total of eight sites and narrowed it down to two,” Lankfeld said, noting prior studies recommending replacement of the existing building.

Trustees debated funding sources and cost-control options. Trustees heard a staff budget plan that the village would use about $660,000 from fund balance and $340,000 from other sources to cover $1 million of the project cost. Staff also identified roughly $300,000 budgeted for furnishings and a similar contingency figure that could be trimmed, and said reuse of existing furniture or tighter contingency rules could reduce the immediate cash need.

During discussion trustees cited state procurement law that generally requires awarding to the lowest qualified bidder unless documented grounds justify selecting another contractor. Board members noted multiple bidders and a close spread among several proposals; trustees also expressed a desire to support local contractors but acknowledged state statute limits that discretion.

The board first voted on the base contract. The roll-call vote recorded the following yes votes: Trustee Bratton; Trustee Brocious; Trustee Borchardt; Trustee Borkelund; Trustee Pawlikowski; Trustee Kettlebeater; and President Lankfeld. The motion passed unanimously.

The board then voted to accept alternate bid No. 1 — described in staff materials as additional concrete/site work and restroom additions — for $16,375 (there was minor discrepancy in the alternate sheet between $16,365 and $16,375, which staff said they would reconcile). The alternate also passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.

Contractors referenced during the discussion included Brickell Brothers Inc., Ideal (a bidder discussed in comparative charts), Daniels (a lower alternate-only bidder referenced in the discussion), Kramer Brothers and Fendorf. Trustees asked staff to confirm the apparent arithmetic and to supply any missing documentation before final contract execution.

What the board approved was the award of the construction contract; the board did not set a start date in the meeting record. Staff said final contract documents, minor numeric reconciliations and furnishing decisions remain to be completed. Trustees also discussed phasing and ways to reduce near-term costs, including reusing existing furniture and tighter contingency controls.

The board’s approval moves the project to the contract-finalization phase; staff will return with corrected bid sheets and any clarifying paperwork before signing contracts.