Carpentersville could save $239K with fueling station plan

On Tuesday, Carpentersville trustees are expected to vote on a new fueling station for public works employees, one that would save the village nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

But one member of the audit and finance committee says the project remains an example of wasteful spending in this economy and that the village board should save money for things that matter most: police officers and crossing guards.

Right now, public works vehicles fill up at a fueling station near fire station number one on Spring Street.

The proposed station with underground gas tanks would let public works employees gas up their vehicles at the new public works building on Tamarac Drive. The fueling station, bundled together with a salt dome, originally was estimated to cost $665,642. At a meeting late last year, Humberto Garcia, a member of the audit and finance commission, said the price was outrageous and asked if there was anything he could do to help lower it.

In the end, the village changed the fuel station's design, moved it to a place on site that didn't require as much concrete work, decided to use existing equipment at an older fueling station and found another construction company that was willing to do the work cheaper. As for the salt dome, authorities reduced its size and heightened its walls.

All of these maneuvers saved $239,113.

“We just changed everything around to get the price down,” Village President Ed Ritter said.

The money is coming out of a $20 million bond issue that allowed the village to build the $12 million public works facility and to make $8 million in street repairs.

Garcia is happy the village found ways to save money with the project, but says it still doesn't go far enough to save taxpayers money.

Garcia, who owned gas stations for 15 years, came up with a proposal in which the village would pay a company $36,000 to supply it with aboveground tanks and equipment. In exchange, the village would agree to buy fuel from that supplier for five years, at a 10- to 20-cents-a-gallon markup, to offset those costs.

Garcia said the village would save enough money to hire crossing guards and more hire police officers. During a tight budget last year, the village board decided it wouldn't pay for crossing guards.

“Do we really need to spend that money? There's other things that can be done in the village,” Garcia said.

But Ritter said the money has already been allocated and can't be used to hire staff.

Moreover, there were security concerns about Garcia's proposal because underground fuel tanks are safer. Ritter also questioned whether being locked into a certain fuel price ultimately would save money.

“In the long run, this will be the cheapest option,” Ritter said.