City staff told the Marshfield City Council that schematic‑phase cost estimates for renovating Wildwood Plaza to house the police department are above original expectations and that steps are planned to keep the project within the city’s funding limits.

City Administrator Steve Barr said the city has spent about $136,000 so far on design and engineering with consultant BKB. He reported third‑party estimates at schematic design of “between 10,800,000.0 and 13,500,000.0,” and noted schematic estimates at this phase typically carry 20–30% uncertainty. Barr said staff will seek a construction manager to assist with value engineering and get a guaranteed maximum price before construction bidding.

Council members responded with questions on scope and cost control. Alderman Wurman urged defining a minimum viable product for operational needs and said grants and sponsorships could fund nonessential features. Alderman O’Reilly pressed for clearer communication about footprint changes and geotechnical or hazardous‑materials testing results; another member cited a prior local project with substantial bid escalation as a cautionary example.

Barr reiterated that the council set a $10 million borrowing limit for the city’s funding portion and said staff would pursue measures (a construction manager, value engineering and periodic checkpoints) to avoid exceeding that cap. He said a request for proposals for a construction manager would be posted in the coming weeks and that staff would return with checkpoints as design develops.