Wildwood’s new 13,200-square-foot police station will cost nearly twice as much as anticipated due to design changes, more extensive site preparation and rising costs in the construction market.
When the city commission voted to purchase a seven-acre site in May 2016 for $625,000 at County Road 462 West and U.S. 301, officials expected the entire project to cost about $3.5 million. The land purchase price later was reduced after sinkholes were found on the property.
Now, the estimated cost is $6.9 million, said Rodney McManus, vice president of Architects Design Group of Winter Park, who reported on project planning Wednesday at a commission workshop meeting.
“While we can’t take responsibility for the cost, we certainly apologize,” McManus said.
Despite the price hike, commissioners expressed no reservations about going ahead with the project, which is expected to be completed by July 2019. Site preparation is expected to begin in March and construction bids solicited in April. Borrowed funds will pay for the project.
Housing construction, especially for The Villages giant Southern Oaks development, is boosting Wildwood’s tax base, but McManus said it also is driving up construction costs for municipal projects.
“What’s hurting us the most here in Wildwood is the private housing market,” he said. “It’s painful, but it’s not an anomaly.”
He said aggressive home construction has created a glut of work for local construction companies and led to manpower shortages. Repairing damage from Hurricane Irma added to the problem.
Instead of a metal building, the design was changed to stucco and brick. A sally port was added for secure transfer of suspects as well as a movable wall in the community room and a tower near the entrance. Space also was designated for the department’s communications center.
Those changes added nearly $2 million to the building’s cost, McManus said.
About $1.8 million for site preparation includes parking, digging retention ponds in heavy clay soils and driveway access added to U.S. 301.
At Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners also discussed renovating the city hall to increase space since construction costs are rising and the city will need to borrow money anyway for the police station.
The city hall roof has been a long-term problem and needs more repair, said City Administrator Jason McHugh.
