LIbertyville trustees shocked by electric bid price

It could take a month or so longer to bury the electric service along Lake Street in Libertyville, but village trustees are willing to wait in hopes of saving money.

What appeared to be a routine contract award was anything but, as the board unanimously rejected a proposed contract of nearly $104,000 to move a transformer.

Trustee Bob Peron led the charge, saying the informal price quotes from three companies were too high.

His assessment came about 90 minutes after the board's ceremonial reopening of Lake Street in Butler Park, a project with an unexpected $150,000 cost overrun.

"We're just going to too fast. We're spending a lot of money. Slow down," Peron said.

Public Works Director John Heinz explained that price quotes were solicited to speed up the process. The power lines have to be buried to prepare for construction of a parking deck and rebuilding the existing surface parking lot at Lake Street and Brainerd Avenue.

A transformer needs to be moved from village property closer to the Manchester Square commercial/residential development, in progress at Lake Street and Milwaukee Avenue, to accommodate the parking work.

That move will involve cutting power to Manchester Square for several days, which would best be done before tenants occupy the spaces, he told the board.

"If we wait and have tenants in Manchester Square, we have to shut them down for two or three days," he said. "We're risking time."

That didn't wash with Peron and others. While the village wants to be friendly to business, the Manchester Square project has taken several sometimes frustrating years to get this far.

It is on the site of the former Bonzai Motor Sports building, which collapsed in a storm five years ago.

"We're spending (money) quickly for a project that should have been done two years ago," Peron said.

The low price quote was rejected and Heinz was directed to formally bid the project, which could add a month to the process.

Manchester Square is a three-story building designed to appear like separate structures with a historic look, with space for several restaurants on the ground floor and penthouses costing up to $1.25 million.

It's unclear when the building will be complete, although Egg Harbor restaurant is building out its space and has been taking job applications.