Will County Capital Improvements Committee Met Jan. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
III. ROLL CALL
Chair Herbert Brooks Jr. called the meeting to order at 10:40 AM
| Attendee Name | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Herbert Brooks Jr. | Chair | Present | |
| Joe VanDuyne | Vice Chair | Present | |
| Julie Berkowicz | Member | Present | |
| Natalie Coleman | Member | Absent | |
| Gretchen Fritz | Member | Present | |
| Donald Gould | Member | Present | |
| Meta Mueller | Member | Present | |
| Annette Parker | Member | Present | |
| Jacqueline Traynere | Member | Present |
1. WC Capital Improvements Committee - Regular Meeting - Oct 6, 2020 11:00 AM
| RESULT: APPROVED [7 TO 0]
MOVER: Gretchen Fritz, Member SECONDER: Julie Berkowicz, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Fritz, Gould, Parker, Traynere ABSENT: Coleman AWAY: Mueller |
Ms. Mueller stated I wanted to check and see if we have any updates about the discussion of a new morgue; and to see where we are at with that, what our next steps are, and what sort of time frame we are looking at.
Mr. Tkac said we got together with the Coroner, and the Architect right before the holidays with the initial concept plans. The Coroner had recommended some changes; she was then going to review some of the floorplan changes with her office staff. We are going to reconvene with them and move forward with the design; we are going to try and move forward with this project in short order. I will follow up with Ms. Summers to see if she had a chance to do what she needed to do on her end. We will make sure that the architect takes that impute and incorporates into the documents and we move forward. That is the plan.
Mr. Brooks added I had planned to bring Ms. Summers to our committee in the future.
Ms. Berkowicz said we know this is a pretty significant project; a new Coroners Facility. Have we taken a look at our neighbors in Kendell and DuPage Counties and looked at their facilities when we are designing ours.
Mr. Tkac said while I am familiar with them; I have not reached out to them directly. VI. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
VII. NEW BUSINESS
1. Authorizing Expenditure of Construction Contingency Funds for Removal / Replacement of Undersized Electrical Disconnect Switches at Elevator Numbers 12 & 13
Ms. Traynere stated I wonder what happen; this building is brand new. I read that we are replacing them; and I don’t understand why.
Mr. Tkac stated I will be glad to provide a summery for the basics for this change request. The elevators in question are the two hydraulic elevators that go from the sally port to the main holding area in the basement; they are for detention use only. While they were engineered with a disconnect switches that functioned properly; an inspection after the fact uncovered that these were woefully undersized. Although the elevators were operating properly on the manufacturer’s internal inspection; it was recommended that they be replaced because they would cause an undue strain on the elevators over time. What we are spending now to replace them is money well spent. Because of the under sizing of the switches; we would be paying a lot more over time in maintenance fees. To answer your question Ms. Traynere this is an engineering error.
Ms. Traynere said I thought in the details on the issue that they talked about the breakers being undersized. But on the agenda it talked about undersized electrical disconnect switches. Is that also a breaker?
Mr. Tkac replied yes.
Mr. Van Duyne asked if the engineering firm provided this information for us and we go ahead and install it; come to find out it is wrong. Can you explain why it is the responsibility of the tax payers to make up the difference?
Mr. Tkac stated the expectation for any architectural or engineering firm is that they are not able to dot every I and dot every T; particularly with a project of this size and magnitude. There is an expectation that there will be errors; and there will be omissions. We have been pretty good in our overall percentage based on value of the project; verses the percentage of errors and omissions overall. It is an industry practice. It is not a perfect world; there are going to be some things that fall through the cracks and this is one of them.
| RESULT: APPROVED [7 TO 2]
MOVER: Meta Mueller, Member SECONDER: Annette Parker, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere NAYS: VanDuyne, Berkowicz |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Joe VanDuyne, Vice Chair SECONDER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
Ms. Berkowicz stated on page 5 they list Covid-19 expenses; I was wondering if they were allocated or paid through the Covid-19 funds.
Mr. Tkac said we are staking reimbursement from; and it would amount to a funds transfer for CARES Funds to Capital Improvement; it is pending.
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Gretchen Fritz, Member SECONDER: Annette Parker, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
Ms. Parker asked for an explanation on those charges.
Mr. Tkac stated during the construction of the Will County Court House and the parking lot directly south of the new court house; parking spots were taken out of service for many of the employees of the court house. At the time it would have been the former court house. Since then we have brought the new court house on line along with the new parking lot. As interim staff we had made previsions with Harrah’s Casino to use their surface lot; 100 spaces in that valet lot close to the Emco Building; to accommodate the Will State’s Attorney’s parking requirements. We have continued to do this at the cost of $4,000 or $40 a spot. I am looking for a solution to end this arrangement. It will be coming in short order.
Mr. Brooks asked who you are working with for a solution to the parking.
Mr. Tkac stated I am talking to the Senior Management with the State’s Attorney’s Office; which would be Mrs. Tatroe and Mr. Gray. When the new parking lot opened there weren’t enough parking spaces in the new south parking lot to accommodate everybody in the State’s Attorney’s Office. The new parking lot is shared; it is employee parking but it is shared space for the Clerk, the State’s Attorney. Previously there was the secured section for the Judges. We are trying to work through those details. The State’s Attorney has the contention that all or our employees to parking within the proximity to the workplace. This really needs to become a non-capital expenditure moving forward; and more of an operational one. That is what we are working through.
Ms. Berkowicz said you mentioned the parking was $40 per parking space. Is that per month or per day?
Mr. Tkac replied per month.
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Joe VanDuyne, Gretchen Fritz SECONDER: Julie Berkowicz, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Julie Berkowicz, Member SECONDER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member SECONDER: Gretchen Fritz, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member SECONDER: Donald Gould, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Gretchen Fritz, Member SECONDER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member SECONDER: Donald Gould, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Julie Berkowicz, Member SECONDER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Gretchen Fritz, Member SECONDER: Donald Gould, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
Ms. Traynere stated I just need a refresher I remember these guys came through and evaluated the building for us before we bought it. Is that what this payment is for; it talks about partial schematic design. It says partial so I am not sure what this bill is for.
Mr. Tkac replied this service was provided by Stromsland, DeYoung & Prybys are beyond the initial facility addition assessment work that they performed on the building. It was essential planning done primarily for the Veterans Assistance Commission and their planned use for the building in both the first and fourth floors. This work was initially funded with a Grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to the Veterans Assistance Commission. There was a previous invoice somewhere around $9,500 and those Grant dollars were for the amount of $15,000 total. There was the previous invoice for $9,500 and then again the one before you today finishes out that balances $4,500 finishes out that balance to total the Grant amount of $15,000. What you are seeing here today is the balance due for that initial conceptual design work.
Ms. Traynere asked if we are expecting any money from DCEO from the completion of the project; monies we have not yet received. Because I have some bad feelings about some scissor snipping in Springfield over the next month. I am just wondering if that’s going to effect this project.
Mr. Tkac said I cannot speak to that intelligently; I can only say that the Grant funding that was provided for this design work also came with some additional funding for some exercise equipment; that will ultimately be placed on the first floor once the building is ready to except it.
Ms. Traynere replied I will as in Finance Committee.
Ms. Berkowicz stated with all of the invoices that we approved within the meeting today; I would imagine that some of them may have had some modifications because of COVID-19; either in materials or in planning and design. Is that the case and have we been able to allocate those costs to the COVID reimbursement.
Mr. Tkac replied yes, primarily on the Will County Court House project there were some COVID expenditures. They were to protect the workforce during the construction phase. As far as any kind of changes to the physical attributes to the building; no that did not occur it was built in accordance with the original construction documents. Any expenditures related to COVID would have been enhanced; signage, clean up and disinfecting those such things during construction. For example; we had a union laborer who 3 days a week would go around and disinfect areas and devices that were communally used by the tradesmen and women during construction. For example the telephone to call the freight elevator that was touched by a lot of people during the normal course of a work day. These things were sanitized 3 times a week. Also to provide PPE that some folks may show up and not have it. This is a summary of those types of things that those dollars represent. Yes, we are seeking reimbursements from the CARES Act Funding.
Ms. Mueller said can we get a status of where we are at with the purchase of this building; have we closed on it yet.
Mr. Tkac stated we have a sales contract that has been negotiated from our Civil Division from the State’s Attorney’s Office with the Real Estate Attorneys for the Silver Cross Hospital. It has been finalized and reviewed by the Will County Executive’s Council; it is awaiting the Will County’s Executive’s signature as we speak. My expectation would be to close on it this month.
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member SECONDER: Donald Gould, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Coleman, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere |
IX. PUBLIC COMMENT
Mrs. Adams stated there are no Public Comments.
X. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS BY CHAIR
XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION
XII. ADJOURNMENT
1. Motion to Adjourn @ 11:17 AM
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jacqueline Traynere, Member SECONDER: Julie Berkowicz, Member AYES: Brooks Jr., VanDuyne, Berkowicz, Fritz, Gould, Mueller, Parker, Traynere ABSENT: Coleman |
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