The Franklin Park Village Board has approved more than $800,000 in engineering work.
Among the $832,950 in contracts with firm Smith LaSalle Inc. are roadway, sewer and sidewalk projects, as well as the village’s annual agreement for the firm to provide Franklin Park’s staff engineering.
All of the approvals were part of a unanimous vote in favor of the consent agenda at the board meeting on April 16.
The road and sewer work will include preparations for street resurfacing and water main and sewer improvements on Ernst Street, Dora Street, Sarah Street, Sunset Lane and McNerney Drive, according to Village Engineer Dave Talbott
Mayor Barrett Pedersen said the village engineer, not elected officials, selected the streets set to be resurfaced.
“They’re based on the condition of the streets, the condition of the sewers and the condition of the water mains,” he said.
There are streets in the village in worse condition, Pedersen said, but those roadways have a raised center for drainage and would require a full rebuild, which could cost up to five times more than a resurfacing.
The roadway and sewer engineering contracts approved April 16 total $160,490, according to Talbott.
Pedersen said the purpose of the engineering approvals was to ensure projects are shovel-ready when construction funding becomes available, although he was uncertain construction would take place in 2018. Talbott, however, said he was optimistic most of the projects could be completed this year, with resurfacing most likely to occur in July and August. The expected total construction cost for the road and sewer work is about $1.36 million, according to Talbott.
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An engineering agreement for the village’s curb and sidewalk replacement program was $49,260, according to Talbott. In the ongoing program, residents and the village split the cost to replace sidewalk squares on an as-requested basis, with the village also paying for curb replacement.
The village’s contract with Smith LaSalle for staff engineering was $623,200. The firm has provided village engineering in Franklin Park for six years, Talbott said. The agreement for 5,300 hours of labor increased by about $70,000 compared to the previous year, he said, due to overhead rate and salary changes.
Franklin Park chose not to issue a request for qualifications for its engineering services agreement because of the village’s established relationship with Smith LaSalle, Talbott said. All other contracts with the firm that were approved by the board at the April 16 meeting were considered additions to Smith LaSalle’s annual agreement with the village, he said.
Work included in the village’s staff engineering contract includes a wide range of tasks, such as flood plain management, grant applications, coordinating with developers and operating Franklin Park’s geographic information system.
Anna Bybee-Schier is a freelancer.