South Barrington village hall expansion faces more delays

Despite facing even more delays this year, a long-planned expansion of South Barrington’s village hall is expected to at least begin construction in 2012.

Back in January, village officials had hoped to start and finish the 11,000-square-foot addition within the year.

But new discoveries about the topographical challenges of the site at 30 S. Barrington Road — and the building regulations affecting them — have slowed down the pre-construction part of the project.

The issues stem from the nature of the site itself, which is more or less on an incline, and its proximity to a flood plain. This has made the proper handling of water detention problematic, Village President Frank Munao said.

After a different series of delays kept the project from beginning at all in 2011, Munao insists that this is the year work will start.

“We’re going to do it, the question is when are we going to get started,” Munao said.

While no longer confident that the project can be completed this year, he hopes to at least have the foundation built and the addition under roof so interior work can continue through the winter.

The original cost estimate was $2.5 million to $3 million. Munao said he’s not sure what impact any additional work will have on the cost, but believes the project will remain within budget.

The expansion, which would enlarge the 28-year-old building to about 18,000 square feet, is expected to be built from existing village funds and won’t require more land or a tax referendum.

The work won’t have much effect on the front, upper level of the two-story building except that the police department will move completely to the lower level, allowing village administration to take over the upper floor.

The lower level addition will include a new meeting hall for the village board and its advisory committees, as well as more office space.

The police department will take over the existing lower level space, converting it into a training room and temporary headquarters for emergency operations.

Only members of the public attending village meetings in the evening would be affected by the project, as these meetings will be relocated to a yet to be determined off-site facility.