MARSHFIELD − The plans are ready and a Wisconsin Department of Administration $800,000 grant has been awarded for turning the Wildwood Plaza building into the new Marshfield Police Department.
The grant is one that is awarded to local governments and nonprofit organizations for infrastructure projects that benefit the public, said Marshfield Police Chief Jody Geurink.
The Marshfield City Council approved $10.8 million for the project in 2023, but early estimates for the project came in as high as $13.5 million. During the planning process, city staff and architects have been looking for ways to keep the cost of the project down. Significant reductions were made to the original design in order to meet the approved budget, Geurink said.
Since 2023, inflationary pressures and increased construction costs have continued to impact municipal building projects across the state and country. The department has made additional reductions to the original design and gone after alternative funding sources to minimize the burden on taxpayers. Geurink said the city also has applied for several grants, as well as money from U.S. Congressional spending.
It’s been more than three years since the owners of the Wildwood Plaza, known as the “Buffalo Building,” offered the property to the city for the new police department. The city accepted the building, located at 2504 S. Central Ave., and approved remodeling it.
The current Marshfield Police Department, 110 W. First St., was built in 1987 and is about 18,000 square feet. The Wildwood Plaza building currently is 23,400 square feet, but will be added to as part of the plan. The department needs larger storage for evidence, larger training rooms and additional garage space. With remodeling, officials believe the Wildwood Plaza building can meet all the department’s needs.
Receiving the $800,000 grant is vital to keep the relocation project moving forward without placing additional strain on taxpayers, Geurink said.
In order to get the grant, the city had to show local, regional and state support for the project. Many elected officials, as well as county agencies and local nonprofits provided strong support for the project.
The city is putting out requests for bids for the first steps in the project, which is pouring concrete cases for what will be the garage area, Geurink said. Geurink expects work on the project to begin sometime around the end of summer.
Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Marshfield News-Herald: Marshfield gets $800,000 grant for new police department project
Reporting by Karen Madden, Marshfield News-Herald / Marshfield News-Herald
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