Wilmette OKs $1.8 million in design contracts for new police station

Two years after an examination of the Wilmette Police Department’s space needs began, the design of a new police headquarters is underway—even as uncertainties about future costs remain.

On April 22, the Wilmette Village Board unanimously approved contracts totaling $1.8 million for design and related services associated with the future construction of a roughly 53,000-square-foot police station on the site of the existing station at Ridge Road and Birchwood Avenue.

The contracts were awarded to FGM Architects and CCS International, Inc., firms that conducted the initial space and land use study, and provided schematic design services as well.

The projected cost of the new police station is $50.5 million, but during the board’s April 22 meeting, Trustee Stephen Leonard noted the unknowns for material and labor costs amid new, global tariffs.

“Clearly the pricing on this project was done prior to our current political environment where ‘uncertainty’ has been kind of the watchword lately,” Leonard said. “Given this uncertainty, how do we monitor it, how do we price it and how do we think about ‘go’ or ‘no-go’ in the face of those risks?”

“It’s something we’re thinking about regularly,” said Brigitte Berger-Raish, director of engineering and public works for the village of Wilmette. “Obviously it has significant potential to impact our project.”

Berger-Raish further stated that the budget will be monitored and updated throughout the project “so if there are major swings we will know about them sooner rather than later.” There are also design considerations, such as sourcing local materials not subject to tariffs, that can be explored, she said.

Ultimately, however, the village and the general contractor hired to build the police station will be “sharing the risk for unknown considerations,” Berger-Raish acknowledged.

Village Manager Michael Braiman told Pioneer Press that contingencies make up approximately 6%—or about $3 million—of the $50.5 million projected cost.

“The village will have multiple budget checkpoints during the design process to ensure that the station is aligning with current projections,” he added.

The $1.8 million in contracts approved by the village board is also included in the $50.5 million projection, Braiman said.

Another $429,000 has been set aside to relocate police services to the Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah synagogue—which was purchased by the Wilmette Park District in May 2024 for $5.4 million—for nearly two years while construction of the new station is taking place.

The new police station will be funded through reserves in the village’s budget, as well as money borrowed through a bond issue, though the amount of that new debt is not yet known, Braiman said.

“The village’s Finance Committee, made up of village trustees, will be analyzing that after construction bids have been received,” Braiman said. “Ultimately the interest rate will be set by the bond market at the time the village issues bonds.”

The property tax level will not change because the village is set to pay off existing debt when it comes time to borrow for the police station construction, he added.

Construction is anticipated to take place during the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Plans currently call for the station to consist of two stories with underground parking, surface parking, a secured area for police vehicles, and a secure transport area for arrestees, known as a sally port. The building will extend approximately 3,487 square feet into the adjacent Howard Park, but village officials said this will not impact the existing play fields.

The current police station was constructed in 1968 and has 20,300 square feet of space.

Residents of the neighboring Village Green Atrium, a senior condominium, have expressed concerns about the new station’s potential impact on their property, including vehicle access to the southern point of their building. Village officials say work to address the residents’ concerns in the final design plan is ongoing.

“There will be continued conversations to make sure [their] questions are answered,” said Village President Senta Plunkett.