Expansion coming to Lake County juvenile center
A long-delayed expansion of Lake County's juvenile court complex near Vernon Hills finally is moving forward.
The county board on Tuesday agreed to hire Wight Construction Services as the general contractor for the first phase of the project, which includes new courtrooms, hearing rooms and office space.
The Darien firm will be paid about $12.8 million for the task.
Formally called the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Justice Complex, the center is on Milwaukee Avenue south of Route 60. It's named for a former county board chairman.
The center opened in 1997, and expansion first was recommended in 2002.
A large-scale expansion never happened, however. Smaller projects were tackled instead, such as parking and drainage improvements.
The center's space needs got attention again in 2012, when a judicial facilities review committee recommended expansion. Funding was set aside for the project that year, but construction never began.
Early last year, however, the county board hired an architect to design the Phase I work.
A three-story expansion on the building's north side is planned. It will add more than 38,000 square feet to the center, officials said.
Seven companies bid for the Phase I construction work. The bids ranged from roughly $12.8 million to $14.5 million, county documents indicate.
Wight Construction's bid was the lowest.
The county board approved the contract with little discussion and no objections Tuesday, officials said.
Some site work is expected this fall, but construction won't really begin until spring 2016, Deputy County Administrator Amy McEwan said. The project is expected to take 18 months.
Two more phases have been proposed, but neither has funding.
Phase II calls for the remodeling of some courtrooms and office areas into new office space.
Phase III calls for the construction of additional low- and medium-security housing for detainees.