Rock Island is preparing to take the next step in its effort to build a new police station. Tonight the city council will consider hiring a construction manager for the project.
Public Works director, Randy Tweet, is recommending Gilbane Building / Valley Construction for 1.7 million dollars. The company would oversee the project from now through its completion in two years. Tweet says a key job for the construction manager is managing the cost.
"The first thing they do is look at the information they have. The architects have pretty much narrowed down the building and now the construction manager is looking at it and doing a cost analysis. Up until now it's just been rough estimates."
The rough estimate so far has been about 17 million dollars.
Tweet says Gilbane Building is an Illinois affiliate of a national company that's number three in country for building police and correctional facilities.
Also on tonight's agenda is accepting bids for demolishing some homes on the future site of the police station - between 5th and 7th avenues, and from 12th to 13th streets.