Geneva alderpersons recommend nearly $3.5M on projects, vehicle purchase

GENEVA – Geneva alderpersons recommended four contracts and a purchase agreement Monday for almost $3.5 million.

The largest approved was a contract for more than $2.5 million to Geneva Construction Company of Aurora for the 2003 street and infrastructure project.

Acting as the Committee of the Whole, alderpersons also recommended approval of:

• $464,246 for a contract with Substation Enterprises Inc. of Alabaster, Alabama, for change orders not to exceed 10% of the contract for the delivery of materials and equipment for the Geneva Business Park III Substation

• $590,000 for the replacement of fleet vehicles through the Illinois Joint Purchase

• $126,200 to Globe Construction Inc. of Addison for the sidewalk and curb maintenance program

• $25,840 for Nashnal Soil Testing, LLC of Plainfield for construction material testing and geotechnical services

The street and infrastructure project includes roadway restoration, storm sewer replacement, sealcoating at the Water Treatment Plant and Fire Station 1, driveway and apron replacement at Fire Station 2, sally port floor repairs at the police department and pavement patching and pavement markings throughout the city, City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins said.

“The alternative bid cost for the fibrous reinforcement came in at an additional cost of approximately $114,000 and therefore is not being recommended at this time,” Dawkins said.

First Ward Alderperson Anais Bowring asked why the additional expense was not being pursued as using the fibrous reinforcement extends roadway life by five to 10 years.

“Is there a cost-benefit analysis that makes that seem like it’s worth considering,” Bowring said. “Or do we simply not have any money anywhere available for it?”

Public Works Director Richard Babica said the additional fibrous reinforcement provides more elasticity to reduce the wear of heavy traffic from school buses and trucks.

“My staff wants the fiber,” Babica said. “I have the obligation to work with the budget officer and keep us on a solid footing. The project would be $114,000 over budget. … Could that be made up? It’s entirely possible. But at the same time, you have to know when to say, ‘When.’ And at this point in time, I just didn’t feel comfortable being that far over budget coming in front of the City Council.”

The substation is being built in expectation of the electrical load growth that will be needed in the Geneva Business Park, Dawkins said.

“The substation package consists of the structural steel, aluminum buswork, insulators, metering, various hardware and the circuit switchers used to build the 34kV bus to feed the new transformer at GBP III,” Dawkins said.

Because the expected delivery date of the structural steel and buswork is estimated at 38 weeks and other items, such as circuit switchers, are expected to take 74 weeks, Dawkins said the project will have to be funded over several fiscal years.

Electric Services Superintendent Aaron Holton said the city bids out individual components when it needs to build a new substation.

“This is the substation package, so this is all the steel buswork and whatnot that will be for the 34kV,” Holton said.

KV refers to kilovolts, the unit for voltage capacity.

Holton said the next contract will be the switchgear building.

“That’s a modular metal building that will show up on wheels that we place on the foundation,” Holton said.

The City Council will take final action on the contracts and purchase.