Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Operations Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nogales council approves $178,713 change order as Public Safety Operations Center redesigns resume
Summary
Council authorized a $178,713 change order to complete architectural, civil and construction‑management work tied to revisions at the Public Safety Operations Center, while staff said the project remains within existing appropriations and grant deadlines for $10.7M and $2.7M awards were noted.
Nogales city council on May 6 approved a $178,713 change order tied to redesign work for the city’s Public Safety Operations Center (POC), moving the stalled project back toward the scope the police department said the grants were intended to fund.
Police administration briefed the council on two grants that underpin the project — a $10.7 million Border Fence Technology award and a $2.7 million Local Border Support Grant — and described months of delays after repeated floor‑plan revisions ordered during previous administration oversight. "The point of this grant...was to improve the communications in this region," police administration said during the presentation, noting the upgrades were intended to modernize radios, towers and the 911 center to be interoperable with state systems.
The approved change order covers additional architectural, structural, civil and construction‑management services McKinstry/McKenstry provided after the city repeatedly changed the facility’s intended use and floor plans. Staff told the council the $178,713 figure reflects extra scoping and estimating work and does not require an additional appropriation beyond funds already allocated to the project.
Council members pressed staff on the source of delays and who authorized the earlier design changes. Several members said floor‑plan reversals — from a POC to a mixed warehouse configuration and back again — generated both time and added costs. "Change orders are initiated by the owner, not by the contractor," a staff speaker said, explaining the current request results from the city’s change in direction.
Council discussed local contracting goals and earlier concerns about repeated change orders on other projects; staff said they remain committed to using local subcontractors when available and qualified. The police administration estimated the prior changes had created a 10–12 month delay, and staff reiterated key grant deadlines: most of the $10.7 million infrastructure work should be finished by December 2026, while the $2.7 million Local Border Support grant was extended by staff to June 2027.
With the change order approved, staff said McKinstry will submit final floor plans for council review and the city will resume work to meet the grants’ operational requirements. The council did not appropriate new money in the vote; staff said the updated scope fits within the existing project budget.
Next steps: staff will present the final floor plans for council approval and continue coordination with the state Department of Public Safety and grant administrators to keep project milestones aligned with grant deadlines.
