Rolling Meadows aldermen balk at latest fire station costs
Rolling Meadows aldermen have balked at the latest price tag for two new city fire stations - a cost estimate that's nearly doubled in two years.
And until they get more questions answered by the city-hired construction manager, they've delayed a vote to approve construction of the first station on Algonquin Road that was to break ground as soon as this month.
"Most of us are in favor of two fire stations," Alderman Mike Cannon said at a council meeting Tuesday. "The problems we're having is with the numbers because the numbers we heard 2½ years ago are a lot different than today."
Construction of the new 12,700-square-foot Station 15 at 3201 Algonquin Road is expected to cost $5.8 million alone, per bids submitted last month by subcontractors.
When the city council hired R.C. Wegman Construction Co. to manage the fire station relocation project in March 2016, the firm said it could build two new stations for $7 million.
Another old cost estimate put the project at $9 million.
The latest budget estimate - $13 million - was revealed by city officials in May.
That's the number city staff members are sticking with, though on Tuesday, some aldermen predicted the total price could be as much as $14 million. With bid numbers for the proposed Algonquin station coming in higher than expected, they feared the price of the still-to-be-bid Station 16 at 2320-2350 Hicks Road could be the same.
The city plans to close the existing Station 15, at 3111 Meadow Drive, and Station 16, at 2455 S. Plum Grove Road, and build new stations in new locations with a goal of improving response times and reducing fire risk throughout town.
Terry Bohr, a senior consultant with R.C. Wegman, said materials and labor costs have gone up since the original estimate, along with the cost of underground stormwater detention ($240,000 per station), more sophisticated HVAC systems ($300,000), and longer-lasting roofs ($80,000).
While some construction costs are still up in the air, the city already has spent more than anticipated - $2.1 million - to acquire the land on which the stations are to be built.
The council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to postpone a vote on the Station 15 construction contract until Sept. 11, allowing aldermen time to schedule one-on-one meetings with R.C. Wegman to go over the financials in detail.
They also approved an updated resolution expressing the city's intent to borrow $13 million for the fire stations and another $4 million for city infrastructure upgrades.