Bids for Will County courthouse demolition go from $950,000 to $2.5 million

Will County on Friday was preparing to award a bid for the demolition of the old Will County Courthouse.

The county received nine bids for the job, ranging from a low of about $950,000 to a high of about $2.5 million.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant selected a contractor, and the contract was under review Friday by the state’s attorney’s office, her spokesman Michael Theodore said.

The county has $2.5 million in its budget for the demolition of its former courthouse on Jefferson Street in downtown Joliet and is preparing to start the job this year after what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to forestall demolition failed Thursday.

Bids received from the county are:

• Alpha LM Recycling in Joliet for $949,611.

• Dore & Associates Contracting Inc. in Bay City, Michigan, for $1,324,300.

• American Demolition Corp. in Carol Stream for $1,488,600.

• KLF Enterprises in Markham for $1.85 million.

• McDonagh Demo in Chicago for $1,848,500.

• Rezzar Demolition in Crystal Lake for $1,839,000.

• Alpine Demolition Services in St. Charles for $1,939,000.

• Omega III in Elgin for $1,945,000.

• National Wrecking Co. in Chicago for $2,544,000.

The Will County Board Executive Committee on Thursday voted 7-5 against the creation of a committee that would have explored potential reuse of the old courthouse building and potentially put a hold on demolition.

Board member Daniel Butler, R-Frankfort, a chief proponent for keeping the old courthouse, argued that the demolition bids did not adequately cover debris disposal costs, and the total price for the job could exceed the $2.5 million in the budget.

Preservation advocates have argued that the actual demolition costs for the building would go far beyond the $2.5 million price set by the county.

But the submitted bids do include hauling and landfill costs, Mike Mahoney, chief of staff for the executive’s office, told the committee.

The bids are “100% all-inclusive,” Mahoney said after the meeting. “Everything was under $2.5 million.”