Will County officials want ComEd to move faster to remove substation from old courthouse

Will County officials appear to be losing patience with Commonwealth Edison, which has yet to remove an electrical substation from the lower level of the old courthouse prior to demolition.

The county has been in talks with ComEd about an alternative location for the substation equipment, which provides power to some businesses in downtown Joliet. Officials have been working toward demolishing the structure after the opening of a new courthouse next door in late 2020.

Dave Tkac, the county’s director of facilities and capital programming, told the Will County Board Capital Improvements Committee on Tuesday that little progress has been made on deciding where to relocate ComEd’s equipment.

“We’ve offered up several options for them, none of which seem to appeal to ComEd,” Tkac told committee members.

He added that ComEd wishes to keep the substation as close to the intersection of Ottawa and Jefferson streets as possible.

Tkac said the county has also engaged the city of Joliet to offer alternatives for relocation, but ComEd wasn’t warm to those proposals either.

“It continues to go on this track of, ‘We don’t like this. We don’t like that,’” Tkac said. “They’re going to have to make a decision and live with it.”

Tkac added that ComEd needs about 200-square-feet of space to place its equipment.

Some board members chimed in with suggestions on how to push ComEd to make a decision faster.

Minority Leader Mike Fricilone, R-Homer Glen, suggest giving ComEd a deadline for when it will have to move its equipment.

“Put a little pressure on them,” he said, in hopes that might “get them going a little faster.”

Fricilone has pushed for the county to move faster on demolishing the building, although officials have said the full cost for the project is unknown. Tkac said Tuesday the county executive’s office was preparing bid documents for later this month for the abatement of asbestos in the building.

The former courthouse at 14 W. Jefferson St. has sat vacant since late 2020 and has attracted vandals, which officials have said is costing the county money.

Member Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, agreed with Fricilone and suggested the county even begin demolition before the equipment’s removal to induce a response from ComEd.

Member Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, suggested the county look into using the vacant building for temporary housing if demolition won’t take place for several months.

The county will also have to abate asbestos in the old courthouse before demolition. Tkac said Tuesday that bid documents for the abatement are being prepared and he anticipates that could allow for work to being this fall.

In a statement, ComEd said it “is working closely with Will County and the City of Joliet to determine the best way to relocate equipment that currently sits in the Will County Courthouse. Once we have a solution that benefits all parties and allows us to continue to provide reliable energy to everyone served by that equipment, we can move forward with the removal of the equipment.”