That's the most number of bids ever received for a project, the project's lead architect Jack Murphy of Thompson and Litton said in a news release.

Murphy was not available for comment Thursday.

The Radford City Council is expected to consider awarding the low bid of $5.59 million to Frith Construction Co. of Martinsville at Monday's meeting, according to the news release.

The companies and their total bids are:

n Frith Construction Co., $5.59 million

n Burwill Construction Co., $5.64 million

n Martin Brothers Contractors, $5.66 million

n Price Buildings, $5.7 million

n John S. Clark Co., $5.7 million

n G&H Contracting, $5.7 million

n DeVere Construction Co., $5.73 million

n Snyder & Associates, $5.75 million

n J.E. Jamerson and Sons, $5.82 million

n Taft Construction, $5.9 million

n Swope Construction Co., $6.02 million

n Lionberger Construction Co., $6.15 million

n Corte Construction Co., $6.46 million

n Breakell Inc., $6.46 million

n Hall's Construction Corp., $6.73 million

The facility would replace what's left of the existing 120-year-old building at 601 W. Main St. that now houses the police department. A study conducted nearly 20 years ago called the facility inadequate for the department's needs.

The new building will involve renovating the 47,668-square-foot former Old Box Colony factory off Robertson Street as a new police department, as well as room for some city administrative offices and city council chambers. The city bought that building in 2008 for $500,000.

"It will be a better environment for my employees, but more importantly it's a better environment to serve the public," said police Chief Don Goodman.

The majority of the project will be funded through a USDA loan of up to $6.2 million. Loan payments are expected to fit into the annual budget without impacting tax rates, the news release stated.

"As a resident of the city and the police chief, that's important to me," Goodman said. "Nobody wants to pay more than they have to."

The city has also received a $437,000 in federal appropriations in 2008 and 2009 for technology and outfitting the inside of the building.

Ground-breaking is expected in early March if bids are awarded Monday.

Construction is expected to last about 12 months, with a potential opening date of April 2011.