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$1 million fix planned for Glen Ellyn rec center roof

Give the leaky roof at the Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center a new, $1 million top layer and seven more months and it should be fixed, Glen Ellyn Park District officials say.

The park board this week approved plans to seek bids for installation of a single-layer insulated membrane to adhere to the existing, leaky roof. Work is expected to take four months and cost more than $1 million, according to a consultant assisting the park district with roof repairs.

“With these repairs, we will finally have a fully functional building and can focus on making Ackerman a vibrant center for our community,” park board President Melissa Creech said in a news release.

The park district plans to seek bids for the project beginning in mid-January and award a contract in late February, Executive Director Dave Harris said. Work could begin in spring.

“We really have to wait until the weather cooperates anyway,” Harris said. “You need dry, warmer conditions to perform the work that's recommended.”

Meanwhile, legal efforts to regain money spent on fixing the roof's leaks are ongoing, Harris said.

The park district responded to a breach of contract suit filed by T.A. Bowman Constructors, the firm hired to build Ackerman, with a lawsuit of its own against the building's architect, builder and roofing contractor, Harris said.

“We'll try to aggressively recoup any expenses we incurred to temporarily fix the roof and permanently fix the roof,” Harris said.

The costs keep piling up.

The park district paid Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., of Northbrook $46,000 to investigate the cause of the roof leaks and suggest the best possible solution. Temporary repair work done by Glenview-based L. Marshall Roofing and Sheet Metal cost $10,540.

And now the park district has a $78,000 contract with Wiss, Janney, Elstner to design the membrane planned as the permanent solution, prepare construction drawings and bid documents, review bids with park district staff and oversee construction.

Leaks in the roof of the $11.2 million, 88,000-square-foot facility were discovered before it opened in January 2010.

Since then, park district staff members have controlled water from at least 20 leaks with a system of buckets, tarps and flexible piping that Harris said has worked effectively enough.

“It'll be nice to have it fixed and have a long-term solution,” he said.

Glen Ellyn parks take action on leaky roofs

More finger-pointing on Ackerman's leaky roof

Glen Ellyn Park District OKs temporary roof repair

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