Lake Forest police chief: interior work progressing, second floor expected by end of July

Chief Burke, Lake Forest’s police chief, provided the City Council a bi-monthly update on construction of the city’s new police headquarters, saying interior framing, door frames, structural steel and mechanical and electrical rough-ins are progressing.

"We anticipate the second floor being complete by the end of July," Chief Burke said, and described imminent work including arrival of precast concrete planks that will form the range roof and the drive area for the sally port. He said the fire pump was replaced last week and that masonry work will follow to build the jail cells and sally port addition.

Burke said crews have coordinated duct reroutes and other limited issues found when renovating an existing building, and that inspections are being cleared to allow installation of drywall and finishes. He invited residents to view photos and videos documenting progress on the city website.

Alderman Powers asked whether there had been any major surprises with the construction schedule; Burke said there had been small coordination delays — for example rerouting ductwork and addressing ceiling fireproofing — but nothing expected to "blow the timeline up." The council did not take formal action on the update.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the presentation; Burke and staff will continue providing periodic construction updates as the project proceeds.