After talking it over on a committee level, Wilmette park commissioners have decided to search for a construction manager, one who would handle the proposed Gillson Park beach house replacement project.
Lakefront committee chairman Ryrie Pellaton told fellow commissioners at their Jan. 9 regular board meeting that the decision came after discussions late last year between district officials and Woodhouse Tinucci, the Chicago-based architectural company commissioners want to design and build a new beach house.
Pellaton said committee members who met Jan. 4 eventually agreed with a suggestion from Woodhouse Tinucci, which they chose for the project in December of last year, but with whom an official contract has yet to be signed.
A construction manager brought in at the beginning of a project could help the district by reviewing designs as they are being created, rather than after the design phase is completed, he said. That can ultimately save money for the project, he said.
Bill Lambrecht, the district’s parks and planning superintendent, told commissioners that the district has used construction managers for major projects in the past; the position would replace that of a general contractor, he said.
At the Jan. 9 board meeting, Commissioner Bryan Abbott, who is on the lakefront committee, said a construction manager can be more client-focused then a general contractor.
Executive Director Steve Wilson said Jan. 10 that he and Lambrecht spoke just before the holidays with David Woodhouse and Andy Tinucci as part of their effort to complete an official contract. The two indicated a preference for having a construction manager as early as the project’s pre-construction phase, he said.
“They said they felt a better process would be had by having one involved from the beginning, which ultimately results in a better design, which then results in having a smoother construction project,” Wilson said.
At the Jan. 4 lakefront committee meeting, members asked staff to put out a request for proposals, or RFP, so that committee members could discuss potential hires as quickly as possible, Pellaton said.
Wilson said that responses to the RFP are due Feb. 2, which will allow committee members to review them at their Feb. 6 meeting. At that point, the committee could give staff more guidance on how to proceed in choosing a manager, he said.
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In addition to designing a replacement for Gillson Park’s aging beach house, Woodhouse Tinucci would look at redesigning the beach parking lot to deal with current flooding problems, while keeping the same number of parking stalls.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy