River Forest Public Works employees can expect to be working in a remodeled garage and with a new pickup truck early next year, following action at the Oct. 14 Village Board meeting.
The four trustees in attendance voted unanimously without discussion to award contracts to Futurity 19 Inc. of Hinsdale for the remodeling project and to Sutton Ford of Matteson and Regional Truck Equipment of Addison for the truck. Trustees Lisa Gillis and Ken Johnson did not attend the meeting.
The garage project will include remodeling the restrooms, offices and kitchen at a cost of $112,600. The garage houses all vehicles, equipment, road salt and unleaded and bio-diesel fuel. It also houses materials and supplies for the public works and water/sewer departments. Supplies include stone, asphalt and topsoil. The project includes demolition and cleanup as well as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, drywall, paint, vinyl flooring, cabinetry and masonry.
Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering, estimated the project will begin “in the next couple of weeks” with a target completion date of Feb. 28. He also said normal operations will not be disrupted during the project and that public works “will adjust and work around the improvements.”
Futurity 19, the second-lowest bidder, is a women-owned business that has done work for the village previously. In a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator, Bielak and Brian Skoczek, public works superintendent of operations, said the firm “performed well” in the salt shed construction project in 2023 and a tuckpointing project in 2018. He said multiple references were checked and “all provided positive feedback.” Bielak said staff members recommended Futurity 19 over the low bidder after checking references.
Bielak said the building was originally a United Parcel Service facility built in 1946 and purchased and retrofitted by the village in 1973. He said the facility improvements were recommended based on current conditions and a facility site assessment.
For the pickup truck, separate contracts were awarded to Sutton Ford for the FordF550 truck itself at a cost of $55,296 and to Regional Truck Equipment for the Western Pro-Plus HD Ultramount plow/dump body at a cost of $20,614. The total cost is $75,910.
In a separate memo to Walsh, Bielak explained that the truck is primarily a snow-plowing vehicle that also will be used for hauling materials. It will join a fleet of nine vehicles used for plowing and salting streets, alleys and parking lots throughout the village. He said he expects delivery “in the coming months.”
The truck replaces an old 2011 Ford pickup truck. It was originally scheduled to be replaced in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 but could not be procured due to supply chain issues, Bielak said. It will be recommended for auction.
Although costs for the remodeling project and the truck are slightly over budget, Bielak said savings from other budgeted items will be used to offset the difference.