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Designs, security upgrades and a July GMP target outlined for Bay City public safety building
Summary
Architects and the construction manager presented exterior and interior designs for a 40,000 sq ft public safety center, described secure dispatch construction to ICC 500 standards, and said the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) review aims to reach the contract-approval board on July 28 with construction to follow.
Architects and the construction manager gave Bay City council a detailed update on the planned public safety building — a conversion of the former Kmart site into a roughly 40,000-square-foot facility that will house police, dispatch and municipal court functions.
"We are super excited to be here today to give an update presentation on this very important project," said Brian Mead of FGM Architects, who led the presentation. Mead said the design emphasizes both civic presence and operational security: a public plaza and front lawn will replace asphalt, the building will include wayfinding and branding for police and courts, and a secured staff parking lot with gated, key-fob access will protect staff vehicles. Measured programing includes about 22,000 sq ft (roughly 55%) for police and dispatch, about 11% for municipal court, and about 25% for shared community and training spaces; approximately 4,000 sq ft is being held as shelled space for future expansion.
Mead described the dispatch suite as built to resilience standards: "This was actually designing a box within a box," he said, describing a thickened 10-inch slab, CMU walls and protective concrete decking intended to meet ICC‑500 requirements for continuity of operations during severe storms. The team also highlighted materials chosen to reflect local agricultural history, including a recycled rice-hull cladding product and sunshade patterns inspired by rice grain and silo geometry.
On schedule, Mead said the team is reconciling the guaranteed maximum price and plans to place the GMP in the board packet in mid-July, with a contract-approval meeting aligned to July 28. "We think realistically, July 28 ... seems like a really confident, comfortable date to get the GMP approval," he said. Weaver and Jacobs, the construction manager, estimated a 14–15 month construction period with a latest substantial completion target by Nov. 1, 2027, assuming timely procurement and commissioning.
The presentation closed with council questions about site ingress/egress, fence and neighbor impacts, and a promise from the project team to return with detailed cost reconciliation and updated renderings prior to the July approval steps.
