Repairs of Wheaton's fire-damaged Metra station moving forward

Wheaton's insurance carrier has approved a contractor's bid to repair the downtown Metra station roughly nine months after an accidental fire heavily damaged the building on the night before Thanksgiving.

Commuters have been using a waiting area that reopened as a temporary shelter six months ago. But the rest of the station - including the ticket office and restrooms - has been blocked off since the fire was sparked by a malfunctioning heating unit in a storage and furnace room.

In the wake of the blaze, representatives from the city, Metra, Union Pacific Railroad and the station's coffee vendor inspected the building at the southwest corner of Front and West streets. Engineers also conducted a structural assessment to determine whether portions of the station could be occupied even temporarily.

Once engineers gave the go-ahead, crews cleaned the station, made temporary repairs and installed temporary heating, electricity and walls to allow the city to reopen most of the station's waiting room in January.

The city sought bids for permanent repairs in late April and gave contractors one month to put together their proposals, but only one contractor 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 at the end of June. Wheaton officials simplified the response format in an effort to draw a wider group of contractors, Assistant City Manager John Duguay said.

Three companies responded the second time, but Tessler Construction was still the low bidder at a price of $396,809. The city slightly adjusted the scope of project by adding a few items, resulting in the $809 difference, Duguay said. The two other bidders, Maman Corporation and Construction Consulting, offered $493,102 and $510,210, respectively.

Chubb then deemed Tessler's bid was acceptable, Duguay said.

In a 6-0 vote this week, the city council authorized an agreement with Tessler to move ahead with the project. Crews will replace one side of the roof, make mechanical, electrical and plumbing repairs and restore other finishes damaged by fire, smoke or water.

The city won't be on the hook for those costs because of the insurance coverage, but will pay a $25,000 deductible.

City officials will meet with contractors Wednesday to pinpoint a timeline for completing the project, Duguay said. They're also meeting to discuss how commuters might have access to certain areas of the station during the work.

The hope is to fully reopen the station before the winter, City Manager Mike Dzugan told the council. Last winter, Metra riders waited for trains in two portable warming shelters the transit agency set up on the inbound platform on the south side of the depot.

The city leases the station from Union Pacific Railroad. Metra passengers can buy tickets online at metrarail.com/tickets, through the Ventra smartphone app or onboard with cash.