Preliminary designs and specifications for the new police and city municipal building were shared during Tuesday's meeting of the Wayne City Council.
Bob Soukup with Carlson West Povondra Architects told the council that his firm has been working with the city staff for a number of months in an effort to come up with a plan that would work and remain within the budget.
Soukup shared drawings and floor plans for the former Ameritas building and noted that city offices would be located on the south end of the building, the council chambers would be in the center and the police department on the north end of the building. He also talked about the materials that will be used in various parts of the building in an effort to keep the offices uniform and consistent.
He told the council that there will be secured areas throughout the building and explained the work that will be done to create an emergency dispatch center, equipped with a generator, in the lower level of the building to be used by the police department in the event of an emergency.
"There are a lot of highly technical portions of this project on the police side of the building. The most difficult part of the design has been the slope of the building on the north side," he said.
Soukup said there is a target bid opening date of mid-September and renovation would take 14-18 months. Portions of the work could begin immediately following awarding of the bid; however, there is a long lead time on other parts that will be needed for the project.
Following Soukup's presentation, council members voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2023-55 which approves the plans, specifications and estimate of cost for the project.
Council members approved a request from Wayne State College to have a fireworks display at the college on Saturday, Sept. 16 in conjunction with a football game and Family Day activities. The college will work with the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department to make sure it is safe to discharge the fireworks.
Also approved at Tuesday's meeting were ordinances dealing with the installation of a stop sign on West Fifth Street and amending the city code in regard to land usage in the Floodplain District.
Ordinance 2023-17 was approved and the three readings waived.
It will authorize the issuance of $10 million in Municipal Improvement Bonds, Series 2023. The funds would be used for the following projects - City Hall/Police Department ($3.5 million); Prairie Park Development ($3 million); potential land acquisition ($2 million); and a park/recreation building ($1.5 million).
The city would borrow only what is needed for each of these projects and would have 15 years to re-pay the money after the permanent bonds are issued.
Council members approved a resolution accepting a bid and awarding a contract on the Wayne Prairie Park Development - Phase II Utilities project.
The $716,931 bid was awarded to Penro Construction of Pender.
Matthew Smith with Olsson was present and told the council that five bids had been received and the bid from Penro was considerably below the engineer's estimate of $1.2 million.
He provided information on the work currently going on at Prairie Park and said the next step was to get a well drilled in the area.
"There are lots of moving parts in this project and the contractors are working well together," Smith said.
City Finance Director Beth Porter was at the meeting and told the council she had just received the city's valuation numbers, which will be used for creating the upcoming budget.
The city's valuation is 13.45% higher than last year. Last year's valuation was 10% higher than the previous year.
Porter told the council they have several options to consider before approving the budget.
This include leaving the levy at the rate originally discussed, which was 44.5 cents/$100 valuation for the total city asking or keep it at the 41 cents/$100 valuation which was the tax asking for last year's budget.
These numbers include 2.6 cents/$100 which has been earmarked for use by the Community Redevelopment Authority. That amount is estimate to generate $85,000 for the group.
The additional tax revenue generated from the increased valuation (approximately $27,000) would be put into the General Fund reserves.
The Wayne City Council will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers. A retreat will be held Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Freedom Park Trailhead Shelter on West 13th Street. It will include a public hearing for the upcoming fiscal year's budget.
