PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE 2015/10/05 MinutesPUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015 – 5:00 P.M.
CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS CONFERENCE ROOM
MINUTES
I. ROLL CALL/CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Cathy Waldeck called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Aldermen
Stanford Tack and Michelle Moreno were present.
Alderman Timothy Newman was not present.
Staff in attendance included Michael Thomas, Director of Public Works; Dan
Martin, Superintendent of Public Works; Bob Ells, Superintendent of Engineering;
Bob Kiely, City Manager; Elizabeth Holleb, Director of Finance; Mike Strong,
Assistant to the City Manager; and Becky Pocasangre, Administrative Assistant.
Also in attendance were Victor P. Filippini, City Attorney; Dan Strahan, City
Engineer - Gewalt Hamilton; David Quinn and Janet Marsden-Johnson of 1566 N.
Waukegan Road; Antonio representing John Gates; Art Miller, Lake Forest
Preservation Foundation; William H. Epp, Marc Rohde, and Ted Haug, Alfred
Benesch & Company.
II. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 20, 2015 AND SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PUBLIC WORKS
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Chairman Waldeck moved to approve the July 20, 2015 and the September 21,
2015 Public Works Committee meeting minutes. Alderman Moreno requested
that the spelling of lien on the July 20, 2015 minutes be corrected. With that
change, Alderman Tack seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
III. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL FOR THE REGENCY SANITARY SEWER INSTALLATION
CONTRACTS AND ESTABLISHING ORDINANCE
Director Thomas stated that the Ordinance Establishing The City of Lake Forest
Special Service Area No. 40, Regency Lane Area Sanitary Improvement Project is
being brought to Council for their approval. Approval of all contracts is
contingent on there being no written objection filed by at least 51% of the
property owners and 51% of the electors within the proposed Regency Lane
Special Service Area by October 16, 2015. The City has received no such
objection to date. There are five easements that need to be signed by the
individual property owner and staff is in the process of getting those completed.
The City received three bids for this project. The low bid amount of $828,640
submitted by R.A. Mancini was $78,640 over staff’s construction estimate of
$750,000. The other two bids came in over $1million. Immediately after the bid
opening, staff and the City’s Engineer analyzed R.A. Mancini’s unit price bid to
determine if savings could be realized with the goal of bringing the construction
Public Works Committee Meeting – October 5, 2015
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cost at or below the initial estimate. Dan Strahan, City Engineer indicated that
the City could save money if directional boring was done instead of open cut.
Staff also took a look at asphalt costs to see if savings could be realized if the City
directly contracted with Peter Baker & Son. Staff was also able to cut back on
tree removals if such work is completed by in-house crews. Based upon the
revised amounts, staff is recommending that a base price of $665,727 be
awarded to R.A. Mancini. Staff further recommends two additional contracts as
follows: (1) Perez Landscaping for grass restoration in the amount of $6,720, and
(2) Peter Baker & Sons for asphalt resurfacing in the amount of $46,142. With
multiple contractors being used for this project, staff is also recommending that a
10% “non-contractor specific” contingency be approved. The $71,859
contingency would only be used for any quantity overages with any of the three
contractors or if any unforeseen underground issues were to arise. Amounts for
the project’s contracts and contingency are anticipated to be covered fully by
the SSA. To the extent any shortfall in SSA tax revenue occurs, such additional
amounts can be paid from the City’s water fund. At the second reading the
numbers of the project cost on page 5 will be corrected.
The goal is to present a signed contract to the general contractor and get the
project started. Staff would start by having the JULIE locates taken care of and
ordering the material so that work may begin on October 19th. Staff would like to
get the asphalt work completed before the plant closes and the temperature
drop.
City Manager Kiely stated there are unknown risks when doing work
underground. Mr. Strahan stated that the10% “non-contractor specific”
contingency is a reasonable amount for unforeseen items. Mr. Filippini stated
that the City has a fixed amount that they can tax. If the amount expected to
pay is less than the interest for the 20 year period, the City would reduce the
interest cost. When the estimate was looked at originally, the City was looking to
find savings for the property owners. The fixed rate on the bond issue doesn’t
affect residents.
If there are no objections and City Council approves the installation of the sewer,
there is work that R.A. Mancini will proceed with as early as October 19th. Only a
small portion of the cost incurred would be lost if the project doesn’t go through,
because the City has other projects it can use the material for that would be
ordered.
Alderman Moreno asked what the risks are if the project is not approved in time.
Chairman Waldeck stated that the risks seem small since the City has 60% of
residents that already signed the petition in support of the project and that the
City only needs 51% of electors and/ or property owner’s support for the project
to precede.
City Manager Kiely added that with the signed easement documents the City is
closer to 90% of residents in support. Mr. Filippini stated that if the easements are
not signed the City may need to look at a “work around”. Conversely, the City
could pull the plug on the entire process.
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Alderman Moreno asked if staff was surprised at the costs being so high. Director
Thomas stated that there was a good amount of interest by underground
contractors at the pre-bid meeting, but the City’s desire to see this project be
completed before winter made it difficult for some contractors to work into their
schedules. Mr. Strahan agreed that timing was a big issue and the reason why
there was not as much interest. At the pre-construction meeting, the dates
made a priority.
Chairman Waldeck moved to approve the Regency Sanitary Sewer Installation
Contracts and Established Ordinance. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion,
which carried unanimously.
IV. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL TO ENGAGE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO COMPLETE
PHASE II CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR THE EAST SIDE TRAIN STATION INTERIOR
IMPROVEMENTS
Mike Strong stated that on August 31, 2015 a Request for Qualifications was sent
for Stage III Construction Documents for the East Side Train Station Interior
Improvements. There were twenty-two firms that were at the pre-bid meeting.
Out of those twenty-two firms, ten submitted their qualifications. Two out of the
top five firms were brought in for interviews. Alfred Benesch & Company and
their sub-contractor Legat Architects, have a good amount of experience
working on Metra train stations including experience in ADA compliance and
interior build-outs. Staff is requesting Council approval to engage professional
services with Alfred Benesch & Company. Mr. Strong stated that staff will be
working with the design team to expedite the process. The schedule provided at
this evening’s meeting is conservative. Staff hopes to save six to eight weeks
from the initial timeframe by working with IDOT to hopefully streamline some of
their processes. Mr. Strong added that the City has a federal grant and limited
City resources for this project. Chairman Waldeck stated that timeframe is a
priority, even if the City spends more money since it is such a historic building in
Lake Forest.
Art Miller, Lake Forest Preservation Foundation stated that he is encouraged by
meeting with team at Alfred Benesch & Company and their sub-contractor
Legat Architects and is in full support of their abilities to complete this project.
City Manager Kiely asked members of Alfred Benesch & Company and Legat
Architects to introduce themselves to the Committee. William H. Epp from
Benesch noted that he has worked though the IDOT process with $10 million
federally funded projects in the past and is very comfortable managing that part
of this process. He is confident that he can help with the process since he and
the Bureau of Roads at IDOT have a good relationship. Ted Haug stated that he
has over 20 years of experience with Legat Architects and has completed over
two dozen projects with Amtrak and the restoration of historic stations such as
the Winnetka, Wilmette, and Highwood. Marc Rohde introduced himself from
Legat Architects. He has 25 years of experience with a focus on municipal
projects. Mr. Strong added that Alfred Benesch & Company does a lot of work
with IDOT which is one of the reasons staff is recommending them for approval.
Public Works Committee Meeting – October 5, 2015
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Chairman Waldeck moved to approve an agreement for Professional Services to
Complete Phase II Construction Documents for the East Side Train Station Interior
Improvements. Alderman Tack seconded the motion, which carried
unanimously.
V. OTHER ITEMS
None
VI. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
None
VII. NEXT MEETING – JOINT PUBLIC WORKS & FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING TO REVIEW
F.Y. ’17 PROPOSED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS - NOVEMBER 9, 2015, 5:00 P.M.,
MUNCIPAL SERVICES BUILDING
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Waldeck moved to adjourn the meeting of the Public Works
Committee at 5:46 p.m. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion, which carried
unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Becky Pocasangre
Administrative Assistant