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Hanover council backs Venton Group to design new police station, approves next-phase contract
Summary
Staff recommended awarding design and contract administration for a new Hanover Police Station to Venton Group (PlusVG Architects) after an 11-firm RFP; council approved the recommendation and authorized the mayor and clerk to sign the contract documents.
Town staff recommended and council approved moving forward with a design and contract-administration contract for a new Hanover Police Station to Venton Group Ltd (PlusVG Architects).
Andrew Wilin, director of building and planning and the municipality's chief building official, told council that 11 architectural proposals were received and that a subcommittee (Wilin, Chief of Police Chris Null and deputy CBO Jordan Whitmore) shortlisted two firms before selecting Venton Group following interviews. Wilin said the recommended firm demonstrated knowledge of Hanover's needs and relevant policing projects.
The report cited an approved 2025 budget line of $125,600 for design and engineering; Venton Group's phase proposal listed $127,720 for the phase discussed at the meeting, an increase the report described as about 1.7% on that capital line. Wilin said the firm confirmed it could begin work immediately and included a schedule aligned with a construction start anticipated in April 2026. The recommendation to award the project and to authorize the mayor and clerk to enter into contract documents listed a total project value for the design phase at $512,000 in the staff report.
Councillors pressed staff on the wide range of price proposals (roughly $292,000 to $995,000 in the submissions), the need for specialized police-station experience, and whether sustainability standards would be pursued. Wilin replied that the successful bid stood out on relevant experience and that the RFP asked firms to design with features that could accommodate higher sustainability standards later if council chose to include them. Chief Null confirmed he had toured similar facilities completed by the recommended firm.
Council voted unanimously to receive PB04-25 and approve awarding the design/administration work to Venton Group (PlusVG Architects). The council motion also authorized staff to execute required contract documents and move the project to the next procurement and design steps.
Next steps outlined in the report include bringing forward further design updates, cost breakdowns and any additional funding requests as the project design develops.
