Arlington Heights hires construction manager for new police station

Arlington Heights is another step closer to building a new police station after the village board on Monday selected a construction management firm for the project.

The board approved a contract with Riley Construction for $1.74 million after a bidding and interview process with several firms that took place over the past five months.

“We have an excellent team. We are excited to get this job done,” said owner Barb Riley.

The contract is based on an assumed 16-month period for work, but Riley said the firm is prepared to expedite the construction to be completed within 12 months of breaking ground if necessary.

“We are determined. We know how critical it is for this police department to be up and running,” Riley said.

Planning and Community Development Director Charles Witherington-Perkins said a short construction period also means lower costs for the village.

The new police station, which will be rebuilt on the same site as the current one on the municipal campus in downtown Arlington Heights, has been in the works for years but is expected to break ground in 2017.

“We expect a very high-quality building for our community and for our police department so they can do their job providing for the health, safety and well-being of our residents,” said Village President Tom Hayes.

In January the village board approved a $35 million bond issue for all costs associated with the new station.

A feasibility study done in 2015 estimated the construction-only costs for the police station at $27.9 million.

Riley Construction has about 200 employees in three offices around the Chicago area and has completed police department buildings in Skokie, Lake Zurich and Glenview.

Deputy Police Chief Nick Pecora spoke with those departments and said they were happy with the firms ability to do a quality job on time and on budget.

Trustee Jim Tinaglia was on the selection committee. “I'm really excited to see them go to work for us,” he said. “I think we're going to end up with a very successful and efficient project.”