Construction strike's effects felt throughout Lake County

The expansion of a historic library, the reconstruction of a high school's parking lot and repairs to several much-traveled roadways are just a few of the many Lake County projects being delayed or scuttled by the ongoing laborers strike.

Now in its third week, the strike has idled work sites in Gurnee, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove and North Chicago and other Lake County communities.

Among the jobs in limbo because of the strike is the $7 million expansion and remodeling of the Cook Memorial Public Library District's facility in downtown Libertyville.

The effort, which was supposed to be done in October or November but already was running late before the strike, now is further behind schedule.

"Every week's delay is a week that puts off finishing," said Mary Ellen Stembal, the district's acting director.

Work has been halted on more than 20 of the Lake County transportation division's road projects because of the strike. They include the construction of a roundabout in Lincolnshire, the resurfacing of Gilmer Road near Long Grove, the construction of a bike path on Deerfield Road over the Des Plaines River and crack sealing throughout the county.

A one-week strike wouldn't have hurt the projects anymore than a week of bad weather, Assistant Lake County Engineer Al Giertych said. But the continued work stoppage is causing significant scheduling problems.

"Now that we are about three weeks into the work stoppage, it is becoming less likely that the lost progress will be recovered before winter arrives," Giertych said. "This will impact anticipated completion dates and create additional inconveniences for drivers, residents and businesses affected by projects that will now have to be carried over the winter months and be completed in the spring."

A stretch of North Avenue in Antioch essentially was shut down in April because of scheduled construction and remains closed because of the strike.

If the strike does not end in the next week or two, Lake County engineers will be forced to craft a plan to reopen the road for the winter, Giertych said.

In Fox Lake, the resurfacing of Route 12 between Route 59 and Grand Avenue - through the heart of the village - has stopped because of the strike, Mayor Ed Bender said.

The road is in bad shape as a result.

"It was ground down and, a couple of real rough spots remain on the road because of it," Bender said. "There's one bridge they ground down and it's a very rough area. It's really affecting the town."

Private-sector projects have been affected by the strike, too. Pickets have been spotted at a Sunset Foods under construction on Route 83 at Aptakisic Road in Long Grove.

Stevenson High School officials actually canceled a planned construction project because of the strike. A crew had been hired to rebuild Parking Lot D at the sprawling Lincolnshire campus, but the strike started the day construction was to begin.

Officials eventually voted to cancel the job.

"We never even got any work done," Stevenson spokesman Jim Conrey said.

If they eventually decide to fix the parking lot, officials will have to get new bids for the work, quotes that could make the project more expensive than it would have been this summer, Conrey said.

Stevenson isn't the only local high school with strike-related construction delays. Libertyville High has two projects affected by the strike: one calls for the replacement of a freight elevator; the other involves a building addition to the aquatic center and the installation of a new environmental system for the pool area.

Both projects were supposed to wrap up before classes start in mid-August. Assistant Superintendent Yasmine Dada isn't confident that will happen.

"It was a pretty tight schedule (before the strike)," she said.

Pickets have been set up at the school for a few weeks, too.

That's not the case at Libertyville's sister school, Vernon Hills High. Work on some projects, such as the installation of a new irrigation system for the athletic fields, is unaffected by the strike, Dada said, and pickets haven't been seen.

Construction projects in Libertyville Elementary School District 70 aren't affected by the strike, either, officials have said.

• Daily Herald staff writers Paul Biasco, Lee Filas and Bob Susnjara contributed to this report.