Carpentersville public works building gets final OK

Construction of the new public works facility in Carpentersville will begin in the next month after the village board this week approved final plans for the 87,000 square-foot facility on Tamarac Drive.

The building, which will cost a touch under $12 million, will house the village's public works administrative staff, the underground utilities and streets divisions, as well as heavy equipment and machinery.

After tabling the item at its last board meeting because only four board members were present, trustees on Tuesday approved the final plat of subdivision and planned unit development, which outline the layout of the property, with no discussion.

The village board also rezoned part of the 26-acre parcel to industrial zoning from a designation that would have allowed for the development of townhouses on the property. The village purchased the land near the water treatment facility in late 2006 for about $2.4 million.

"We are ready to go," said a smiling Public Works Director Bob Cole.

Construction is expected to begin in late August and should last about 14 months.

"We want to get this project started," Cole said. "Time is of the essence. We want to get the foundation and padding in before the winter."

Cole is not the only one ready to get the public works facility started. More than 120 bid packets were picked up at a preconstruction meeting Tuesday. Bids are due Aug. 3.

"That's a healthy number," Village President Ed Ritter said. "There are a lot of bids out there ... it should be a competitive bidding process."

Last month, the village board approved selling $20 million in bonds to finance the facility, as well as the village's street and utility improvement program.