Forest Park Village Council officials got the ball rolling on summer alley and street resurfacing programs March 12, authorizing the advertising for bids.
Alleys to be resurfaced are in the 900 block between Hannah and Circle Avenues and the 1000 block between Circle and Marengo Avenues.
Streets to be resurfaced are the 600 block of Marengo and the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Elgin Avenue. Water mains also will be replaced in the 600 block of Marengo and the 1000 block of Elgin.
Estimated cost for all projects is $1.39 million, $678,400 for the alley projects and $712,463 for the water main and street projects. The total cost of the alley projects will be paid from the Village Improvement Program (VIP), a debt service fund committed to public infrastructure improvements. Of the cost of the water main and street projects, $344,263.00 will be from the VIP fund and $366,200.00 from the water fund.
Village Administrator Tim Gillian said that bids are due by March 23 and he anticipates presenting them to the village council in April.
Specifications for the alley projects include reconstruction of the alleys with Portland cement concrete pavement, subbase granular material and storm sewer and drainage structures. Driveways, curbs and sidewalks also will be removed and replaced.
Specifications for the street resurfacing projects include hot mix asphalt surface removal, leveling binder, surface course and binder course. Parkways also will be restored and curbs and sidewalks will be removed and replaced.
The 2017 alley, water main and street resurfacing projects match those included for the first year of the five-year infrastructure unveiled in November by Gillian and village engineer Jim Amelio.
In November, Amelio explained that all streets and alleys are given grades of good, average, fair and poor based on rideability, drainage issues and potholes with the lowest grades given priority for improvements.
The list can be changed due to grant fund availability and deterioration of conditions, he added. Gillian explained that assessments are ongoing.
Amelio estimates 92 of the village’s 117 alleys have been reconstructed since 2000.
Village officials have said in previous years that they attempt to resurface four to six alleys each summer with the number determined by the budget.
Plans for 2019 call for reconstructing alleys in the 800 and 900 blocks of Circle-Marengo, 900 block of Marengo-Elgin and 1100 block of Elgin-Harlem; replacing water mains in the 400 and 500 blocks of Beloit and the 400 block of Thomas; and resurfacing streets in the 400 to 600 blocks of Beloit and the 400 block of Thomas.
Plans for 2020 call for reconstructing alleys in the 900 and 1100 blocks of Dunlap-Lathrop and the 1000 block of Troost-Dunlap; replacing water mains in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Ferdinand; and resurfacing streets in the 800 to 1100 blocks of Ferdinand.
Plans for 2021 call for reconstructing alleys in the 1050 and 1100 block of Desplaines-Troost and 1050-1100 block of Troost-Dunlap; replacing water mains in 7600 to 7800 blocks of Wilcox; and resurfacing streets in the7600 to 7800 blocks of Wilcox and 900 to 1100 blocks of Lathrop.
Plans for 2022 call for reconstructing alleys in the 800, 1000 and 1100 blocks of Thomas-Hannah; replacing the water main in the 1500 block of Marengo; and resurfacing streets in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Marengo and the 1200 to 1500 blocks of Elgin.
