On April 9, County Commissioners voted unanimously to award a $1.1 million contract to WVH Enterprises for construction of the new metal outbuilding on the southwest corner of the sheriff’s office property at 3800 Ulm N. Frontage Road.

Les Payne, county public works director, told commissioners during their April 3 work session that the project has been in the works for about a year.

In February 2023, commissioners approved a $128,500 contract to Nelson Architects to design the facility and had set aside $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the construction.

County to consider $1.1 million construction contract for new evidence building

Payne said that the county received two bids for the construction.

Copper Creek Construction also submitted a bid for $1,226.66.

He told commissioners they’re hoping to start construction in May and complete the project in September.

County approves contract for design of CCSO evidence, storage facility

In November 2022, Undersheriff Scott Van Dyken told commissioners that the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office was running out of room for evidence and records storage.

He said they have “boxes and boxes of records” and evidence as large as couches and beds from homicides, as well RVs.

County considering options for evidence facility

Van Dyken told commissioners that the sheriff’s office had turned their old evidence room into the morgue, which has been helpful, and that space didn’t have enough room for processing evidence in many cases.

With limited space to process large evidence, Van Dyken said they recently had a case of two deceased persons in a camper in Sun Prairie and deputies had to process the camper outside in subzero temperatures.

The sheriff’s office is “busting at the seams,” Van Dyken said in November 2022.

County public safety levy includes pre-trial funding

He said in 2022 that they’re storing records upstairs at the sheriff’s office, but leaks are causing damage.

“We need a secure spot for all of this,” Van Dyken said.