Libertyville parking deck work delayed

Parking in downtown Libertyville this summer and fall won't be as tough as expected, as work on a major project has been delayed.

Construction of a 364-space parking deck at the southeast corner of Brainerd Avenue and Lake Street was to have been under way. But higher than expected bids and contractor concern about the construction schedule prompted the village board to rebid the project in September.

That means the elaborate plans to provide alternate parking during the key holiday season won't have to be implemented, and retailers who feared construction backlash have been spared.

"Yes, retailers are pleased from a timing perspective," said Randy Nelson, executive director of MainStreet Libertyville, a downtown improvement group. "So much of the small business people's annual sales are all jammed into those final three months of the year."

In January, the cost estimate for the deck was $8.5 million. But the low bid was $910,000 more than that. Contractors cited a tight eight-month schedule to complete the project, as well as penalties for running late as reasons for the high bids, according to Village Engineer John Heinz.

"It keeps the contractor on task, and if they don't finish on time it's deducted from their pay," Heinz explained.

Bidders were nervous about having materials available in a timely manner, as it takes about four months for panels used in the deck construction to be available.

"The biggest lead time there was the pre-cast concrete, which is about 75 percent of the structure," Heinz said.

Village officials have long sought parking relief downtown and wanted to get started and finish the project as quickly as possible. A six-month time frame originally was envisioned, but builders said that wasn't possible.

Besides a perennial parking crunch, another reason for the speed was a special financing district downtown to provide funding for the deck was set to expire next year.

Construction was to begin in July and run through early spring, including the heart of the holiday shopping season. Because 130 spaces would be removed from service as the deck is built, the village was scrambling to find spots.

"All the businesses were concerned about the parking plan," Heinz said.

Some pressure was relieved as the village successfully extended the life of the financing district. Heinz said the bid specifications could be reworked to attract more interest and possibly lower the cost. If all goes as planned, construction would begin in January.

"I guess it's one of those good news, bad news," situations, Nelson said.

"We'd like the garage up as quickly as possible, but we think indeed that this is a better alternative so we don't have to worry so much about our retail season at the holiday time."

Police Chief Pat Carey said the new timing would be least disruptive on businesses and give the village more time to make people aware of the changes that will be coming.