Site work and new construction of a fire / police facility in Wallingford, Connecticut. Working plans call for the construction of a fire / police facility; and for site work for a fire / police facility.

https://www.thehour.com/recordjournal/article/wallingford-police-station-armory-relocation-20049423.php Wallingford police's headquarters move opens the door for possible commercial use at old armory January 24, 2025 | Christian Metzger The brick building, styled with a front-facing castellated facade, was designed and constructed by Walter P. ___________________ https://www.greenwichtime.com/recordjournal/article/wallingford-mayor-cervoni-budget-town-schools-19383695.php The town is also repaying bonds to improve the new police station at 100 Barnes Road, while also covering the operational expenses of that and the old building simultaneously for six months as they transition to the new building, according to the budget. ___________________ https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Wallingford/Wallingford-News/Town-Council-gets-update-on-police-station-project.html While inflation has increased since the town first decided to move forward with plans to convert a former Barnes Road office building into a new police station, Police Steering Committee members are still hopeful that the current $30.5 million price estimate can be reduced before all is said and done. The most up to date estimate for the cost of the project is $25.5 million, plus an additional $5 million in "soft costs," which are defined as costs indirectly related to materials, labor or the physical building of the project. Examples of soft costs are the cost of the architectural plans, the cost of purchasing the property, the fees for permits and land use approvals and the cost to borrow money for the project. Steering Committee Chairman Allison Kapushinski told the Town Council Tuesday night that plans for the long awaited renovation of a former office building are moving forward, with the hiring of a construction manager and preparation to go out to bid on trade packages. The project had an initial construction date of spring 2021, but the pandemic set back those plans to the spring of 2023. In that time, there have been large price increases in just about all materials used in construction, but they are trying to hold the line on costs, Kapushinski said. "We don't take inflation lightly, but this is the world we are in," she said. The building plans reflect what the department needs, not what it wants, she said. Original estimates placed the total cost of the project, including soft costs and contingency, at about $24 million. The town purchased 100 Barnes Road for $1.76 million in July 2021. The building was most recently occupied by 3M. The international manufacturing company moved its Wallingford operations to a facility in Meriden three years ago. "We did a needs assessment, we looked at the department moving forward, what the Wallingford Police Department will look like in 20 years," said Police Chief John Ventura. "It is a needs-based assessment. The fact that this is taxpayer money is not something that is held lightly by anyone in the police department." The committee hired Downs Construction as the construction manager, Kapushinski said. "They definitely have an impressive resume. They've completed many police stations in Connecticut and have worked with Jacunski and Humes architects (the town's architects) in the past, most recently in North Haven next door for its police department. I definitely feel like we have a really solid team working on the project." The town now is out to bid for an owner's construction representative, which functions as the "eyes and ears on the project site," Kapushinski said. "It is a really helpful position to have and at that point we will have our team together." Overall, the project is ahead of schedule, and officials are working to submit to the state for a building permit because there are expected to be changes to state codes in October. "We should have that application in by Sept. 21," Kapushinski said. "That would have possibly had some implications when we go for a building permit so we wanted to make sure we were beating that deadline." Architect Brian Humes of Jacunski and Humes has recently completed drawings and specifications for the building, Kapushinski said, and they have gone to the construction manager for review and an updated cost estimate. Bids for the trade packages will go out next month and be opened in November, Kapushinski said. "We feel very confident that we will stay on track, and if all goes according to schedule we are hoping to be back in December with our final request for a bonding increase," she said. Of the $30.5 million estimated for the project, a million dollars has already been spent on the architectural plans and hiring the construction manager, Kapushinski said. And while costs are expected to be higher than what was estimated in 2020, they also are looking for ways to cut those costs to keep the project on or under budget. Plans for a training room have been scrapped, and the size of a storage building has been cut back, she said, but there's also been an unanticipated cost for a communications tower that initially wasn't thought to be needed. Humes said the project has won approvals from the Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands commissions. __________________________________________________________________ As of August 29 2022, this project is in the working drawings status. An architect has been selected and this project is in early design phase. Although a firm timeline for construction has not been determined, construction could start late 2022. *The closed solicitation has been included below for reference: The Town of Wallingford is seeking Bids for Architectural and Engineering Design Services for Renovations for a New Municipal Police Headquarters. Clarification Deadline:10/20/2021 5:00 PM. The method of contractor selection has not been determined at this time.