Clarendon Hills board nixes $3.2 million streetscape contract

Clarendon Hills village President Eric Tech said he plans to meet individually with Village Board members after the board failed to approve a no-bid contract for $3.2 million in downtown streetscape improvements.

Tech said Sunday that he was surprised by the outcome of the July 20 board vote denying a contract with Burke LLC.

“I believed the proposal was consistent with the board’s objectives and the direction we have been moving to improve the overall safety and viability of our downtown area,” he said. “I plan to meet individually with the board members to determine which priorities we should focus on moving forward.”

Tech said he believes the idea of a no-bid contract was a major stumbling block toward board approval.

“It was clear from the questions during the meeting that the village’s approach to bidding and managing this project was not fully understood or endorsed by all board members,” he said. “Further discussion is needed on how a project of this magnitude should be managed by the village. However, this bidding process is consistent with past major projects, including our police station and other community infrastructure developments.”

Officials from Burke LLC told the Village Board they solicited pricing and reviewed the qualifications of the various subcontractors that would work on the project before submitting its cost to the village. The $3.2 million was considerably more than an earlier estimate. Inflation, increased fuel prices, changes from the original plan and rising steel costs were among reasons cited by village staff for the increase.

Still, Tech believes the village needs to move forward.

“Our town cannot remain static and expect to prosper,” he said. “I was recently riding my bike through Downers Grove and looking at the $3 million-plus work they are doing in their downtown to create multiple gathering spaces and move dining off the street. This is not just a trend; it is essential that we invest for future generations.”

The proposed streetscape improvements are part of an ongoing Downtown Improvement Plan for the village that has sparked considerable discussion and controversy in the community.

The major opposition has been expressed against the possibility of eliminating a right-turn slip lane that is part of the Sloan Triangle at Prospect and Park Avenues and its possible future use as a plaza.

Several residents have expressed opposition to that option, saying it would compromise safety and result in traffic congestion near the railroad tracks, about a block north on Prospect.

The Village Board decided in April to not get rid of the slip lane, but rather use removable bollards that allow for flexible closure for events/peak season, a reversible solution, maintaining traffic flexibility, and seasonal dining.

Resident Angie Sartori, who probably has been the most outspoken against a downtown plaza, didn’t tone down her rhetoric after the board failed to approve the proposed streetscape improvements.

“We will remain vigilant if there is any effort to revive any temporary or permanent downtown plaza,” she said. “It has been overwhelmingly rejected by residents in countless public meetings over three years, surveys, petitions, letters, yard signs and now, officially, by our elected trustees.

“We do not need a plaza to bring community to Clarendon Hills. We already have it. And we want certainty for existing and future businesses. We all need our roads, our parking, our pedestrian passages to remain open, unaltered, safe and predictable because they exist in our tiny, but mighty, one-block downtown business district, which happens to be right next door to our busy and only train crossing.”

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.