Wheaton's Metra station reopening with fire damage repaired
Wheaton's Metra station will fully reopen Wednesday morning nearly a year after an accidental fire caused extensive damage to the depot the night before Thanksgiving.
A restoration project has repaired areas of the building with fire, smoke and water damage. A waiting area served as temporary shelter since the start of the year, but the rest of the station - including the ticket office and restrooms - had been off-limits since the fire was sparked by a malfunctioning heating unit in a storage and furnace room.
Final building inspections were conducted last week at the station at Front and West streets. The remaining items left to do in the project should not delay the expected reopening Wednesday morning, Assistant City Manager John Duguay said in an email.
When it does reopen, a Metra ticket agent will be serving commuters from the box office at the east end of the building.
The city leases the station - one of two in Wheaton - from the Union Pacific Railroad. Trains have operated at the downtown stop on the Union Pacific West Line since the fire.
The restoration project involved painting, repairing joists, replacing ductwork, tiling, gutting the restrooms and electrical and plumbing work.
In August, Wheaton's insurance carrier approved a contractor's bid to repair the station. The city initially sought bids for permanent repairs in late April and gave contractors one month to submit their proposals, but only one responded.
Crystal Lake-based Tessler Construction made a $396,000 bid, or roughly $100,000 more than what Chubb, Wheaton's insurance provider, had estimated. Chubb rejected the offer, and the city rebid the work in late June.
Three companies responded the second time, but Tessler Construction was still the low bidder at a price of $396,809. Chubb then deemed Tessler's bid acceptable. On Aug. 6, the city council authorized an agreement with Tessler to move ahead with the project.
The city won't be on the hook for the costs because of the insurance coverage, but it paid a $50,000 deductible.