Downtown Des Plaines train station to get facelift

The Des Plaines city council recently awarded the contract for remodeling the downtown Metra train station to the lowest bidder, Tuscany Construction Inc., of Addison, for a total of $555,800, which includes a 15 percent contingency fee of $72,495. The project involves remodeling bathrooms, refinishing woodwork, new terrazzo flooring and benches, combining a storage area and coffee shop into one space for a future coffee shop, adding a vending area, new lighting inside and outside the building, new outdoor seating area in the northeast side of the station, and new windows and doors. The city budgeted $500,000 for the project this year. The work is being funded through the city’s Tax Increment Financing District No. 1 revenues. Officials said they will go out to bid next year for a few remodeling items that were removed from the project this year for cost reasons.