The River Forest Village Board took a step last month toward installing five electric vehicle charging stations in the village, unanimously approving a $78,670 contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. for design services for the project.
The contract covers the electrical and civil design services at three village-owned properties for the installation of EV charging stations and concept design of two future locations.
EV charging stations will be installed at the village-owned portion of the CVS Pharmacy lot, 7929 W. North Ave.; the parking lot at 400 Thatcher Ave.; and the parking lot at 418 Franklin Ave. The project also includes concept design services for future EV charging stations at Village Hall, 400 Park Ave., and the Public Works facility, 45 Forest Ave.
“It was prudent to get all five,” Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering, told officials.
In August, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $370,000 grant to the village for the three EV charging stations. Bielak said staff members hope to use a ComEd rebate program to supplement funding.
CBBEL and five other firms submitted proposals in September and October and staff members interviewed three of the firms in November, eventually determining CBBEL to be the firm “best suited to complete the project,” Bielak and Seth Jansen, management analyst, said in a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator. They explained that this project is “ideal” for a design-build approach. Under the design-build approach, the design and construction of a project is contracted through a single vendor, which can result in a shorter timeframe for project completion.
In a letter to Jansen, John P. Caruso of CBBEL explained further.
“Upon approval of the design-build proposal equipment procurement may commence and construction activities will proceed, thus expediting equipment procurement over the traditional design-bid-build delivery method,” he said. “Typical lead times for Direct Current Fast Charge vehicle charging stations are 12 to 16 weeks after shop drawing preparation and review.”
Utilizing this approach, CBBEL will solicit bids from electrical contractors who are certified EV charging station installers, Bielak and Jansen said in the memo.
Bielak told officials that the next step in the project will be to solicit bids for construction. According to a proposed project schedule, work is expected to begin in December with data collection with completion anticipated in September. Awarding of a contract is expected in March or April with construction to take place in July through September.
He said the intention is to return to the Village Board once design has started and contractors have been engaged to seek approval of the equipment and construction of the charging stations. The total cost of the project will not be known until then.
In recommending the contract be awarded to CBBEL, Bielak and Jansen said the firm has “significant experience” with EV charging installation projects, including navigating IEPA grant requirements and the ComEd rebate program. They also noted that CBBEL has performed similar work for the village in the past.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois is the Illinois EPA’s grant program developed to distribute funding for various types of mobile source electrification projects. The program receives funding from a variety of sources, including the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act; the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act Program.
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act includes provisions to phase out carbon emissions from the energy and transportation sectors. The Illinois EPA is directed to provide funding, consistent with Illinois Commerce Commission-approved Beneficial Electrification Plans, to public and private organizations and companies to install and maintain publicly available Level 2 or Level 3 charging stations. Up to 8 percent of the cost of the installation of charging stations may be funded. Additional awards may incentivize charging infrastructure in eligible communities.
River Forest will receive funding through the second round of Driving a Cleaner Illinois grant program.