Roman Forest officials to rebid police department expansion project

Roman Forest City Council members authorized city officials to begin the bidding process for the city’s police department expansion project again after previously rejecting bids that came in on the project in February.

The details

Police Chief Stephen Carlisle briefed council members on the project during the March 23 council meeting.

Carlisle noted the city was considering a new design on the project that would incorporate modular buildings. Due to the variability of potential designs that could result from modular buildings, Carlisle said final details on the cost and scope wouldn’t be available until after bids come in on the project.

Mayor Chris Parr said the city was moving forward without a final design because various contractors who may bid on the project might not be able to complete the project exactly as designed.

“If you send that one design out to all these different companies, they may not be able to fit within those parameters,” Parr said. “We have a wish list, and we're going to look and see who's going to give us the best price on our wish list.”

Some context

According to previous reporting, the project will consist of adding roughly 2,000 square feet of space to the city’s police department. Once completed, officials said around half of the existing police department will be converted into additional space for City Hall.

During the council’s Feb. 23 meeting, City Engineer Greg Phipps said the city received several bids to complete work on the project after council members authorized city officials to begin the bidding process in December.

However, after reviewing the bids during a Feb. 9 special-called meeting, Phipps said council members determined they needed to review the scope of the project after they were unable to come to an agreement with any of the contractors who bid on the project.

What’s next

While a start date for construction has not yet been determined, Phipps had previously stated that officials are aiming to complete the project by the end of 2026.