The firm charged with designing South Portland’s new police and fire stations presented the latest proposals last week for what the buildings would look like and how much they could cost — a total of $87.2 million.

Construction costs alone would be $34.7 million for the police station and $31.5 million for the fire station, with other costs like permitting and insurance adding to the overall price tag, according to SMRT architects. If approved this summer, a proposal to fund the public safety buildings will be sent to voters in November. 

The architects presented preliminary renderings of the new stations at a workshop May 19, when the council got its final opportunity to comment on the design and costs before holding a hearing on the bond language.

Adam Yothers, the representative for SMRT, said that the firm is taking cues from the rest of the city when crafting its designs. 

The design for the new fire station, which would be built on the footprint of the existing central police and fire station, includes red brick and a small lantern-like tower, a nod to the old facade. The new police station would have a glass entrance in the front. 

“It’s balancing transparency and (an open) and welcoming feeling as well as the security needs of a modern police station,” Yothers said. 

In March, the city jumped at the opportunity to purchase the vacant Walgreens in Cash Corner as a location for the new police station. Many councilors said that $5.4 million in site work on the Mahoney field, where it was previously planned, seemed too high.

The Walgreens parcel also needs work, according to Yothers, with challenging conditions similar to the Mahoney site, such as contaminated soil and a need for deeper foundations. Site acquisition and development costs are estimated around $7 million, and the city’s accepted offer for the parcel was $2.5 million. 

SMRT adapted the design to fit the new parcel. 

Although the overall floor plan decreased by nearly 500 square feet, Yothers said, the amount of usable space increased by 2,000 square feet to accommodate a training room that was originally planned for the Mahoney building. The new design also includes storage, two more public restrooms, administrative offices and an animal control section.

“We’re trending in the right direction,” he said.

The new fire station would have two buildings — a primary building and an outbuilding for training — totaling 33,000 square feet. The first floor of the main building would have a public lobby, apparatus bays, a training room and administrative offices. The bunk rooms would be on the second floor.

The station would also have a small room by the lobby to display an antique fire truck. Viewers would be able to see the vehicle from the street, Yothers said.