River Forest officials unveiled plans at the Jan. 8 Village Board meeting to issue a $600,000 bond to fund infrastructure projects in the village, and it cleared the first hurdle when nobody spoke at the required public hearing.
Officials also started making plans for spending some of that money, approving three contracts for infrastructure projects costing $500,000. The contracts were approved unanimously by the four trustees present without discussion as part of the consent agenda. Trustees Ken Johnson and Bob O’Connell did not attend.
Village administrator Matt Walsh explained that officials have issued notice to several local banks asking for bids with a deadline of Jan. 18.
“We will evaluate the bids and interest rates and prepare for approval” at either the Jan. 22 or Feb. 12 village board meetings, he said.
“As a non-home rule community, the village is provided with a limited amount of debt service at its disposal, Walsh explained in a memo to officials, noting that the Debt Service Extension Base was established when the property tax extension limitation law went into effect.
The DSEB is an amount that limits the principal and interest that the village can levy to pay on loans or bonds each year, Walsh continued, adding that the DSEB for the village is approximately $300,000 and grows by CPI each year.
“This year our DSEB obligations were paid off and we can now realize our full DSEB extension,” he said, adding that staff members were recommending issuing another short-term bond and using the available funds for infrastructure projects. The bond proceeds would be deposited in the village’s infrastructure improvement bond fund and be used for street resurfacing and other applicable public works infrastructure projects, he said.
The contracts are $122,400 to Strada Construction Co. of Addison for the 2024 curb and sidewalk replacement program; $113,270 to Nardulli Construction Company Inc. of Chicago for the 2024 concrete Americans with Disabilities Act ramp replacement program; and $270,000 to Holiday Sewer and Water Construction Inc. for the 2023 water main improvement project.
Officials also approved a resolution appropriating $736,279 of motor fuel tax funds for the 2024 Rebuild Illinois street improvement project. The village is using a $736,279 Rebuild Illinois grant to pay the majority of the cost to resurface four village streets in 2024. Officials awarded a contract Dec. 18 to Schroeder Asphalt Services of Huntley, Ill., for the $832,475 project. Any amount over the $736,279 will be covered by the infrastructure improvement bond fund.
Streets to be resurfaced are Augusta Street from Keystone Avenue to Harlem Avenue; William Street from Chicago Avenue to Augusta Street; Thatcher Avenue from Hawthorn Avenue to Madison Street; and Hawthorn from Forest Avenue to Franklin Avenue.
Through the curb and sidewalk replacement program, Strada will replace public sidewalk and driveway aprons and curbs and gutters. Strada’s was the lowest of 10 bids. The highest was $285,500.
Nardulli’s was the lowest of seven bids for the concrete ADA ramp replacement project. The highest was $237,068. Through the project, non-compliant ADA handicap accessible ramps at intersections throughout the village will be replaced. The village received an Invest in Cook grant from Cook County for up to $100,000 to help fund the project, but Walsh said village officials are still negotiating with county officials regarding the exact amount.
The water main improvement project will involve installation of water mains where there currently are none, thus increasing the flow and circulation in the general area. The project will impact LeMoyne Street from Park to Franklin avenues and from Ashland to Lathrop avenues. Holiday’s was the lowest of eight bids. The highest was $493,775.
Nardulli and Strada both performed similar work for the village previously. Holiday has not worked for the village but Bill Koclanis, civil engineering technician for the village, said multiple references were checked and all provided positive feedback.
