Brainerd Building demolition set for November
Despite concerns about the company's work history, the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board on Monday hired a firm to knock down the Brainerd Building and Jackson Gym.
Demolition could start in November, after asbestos removal that's set to begin Oct. 13, business consultant Jess Porres said during a special school board meeting at Libertyville High School.
The job could be completed in spring 2015, he said.
The board unanimously agreed to pay a Michigan company called Dore and Associates Contracting $484,800 to handle the demolition.
The firm was the lowest bidder for the job, but last month a Chicago labor union representative formally protested the offer, citing federal safety violations and other issues.
District 128 officials took time to investigate the allegations and to interview other government agencies that have worked with Dore. Those checks were favorable, Porres said.
"(There was) nothing of consequence with their performance," Porres told the board.
The Brainerd Building and the Jackson Gym are on Route 176 in Libertyville, just east of the current high school campus.
The Brainerd Building opened as Libertyville Township High School in 1917. The Jackson Gym followed in 1929.
After the present Libertyville High School opened in 1954, the Brainerd Building was turned into a freshmen-only facility. All classroom education there ceased in 1999 when Vernon Hills High School opened.
A community group had wanted to turn the Brainerd Building into a civic center, and the village leased the buildings from the school district while the volunteers tried to get the project off the ground. They were unsuccessful, however.
District 128 officials want to use the land for athletic fields and parking.
Some students park there now. The site will be off limits during demolition, however, Superintendent Prentiss Lea said.
Demolition: Officials want land for athletic fields, parking