The village council unanimously voted during its May 9 meeting to approve three ordinances moving several major infrastructure projects forward.

Most notably, the council approved the contract for a sewer separation project in the section of 15th Street between Marengo and Circle avenues. The council also entered into an engineering services contract for the alleys the village plans to repave over the next two years. Finally, the council authorized the village to go out to bid for the project to replace 9-10 lead service lines connected to the water main under the section of Jackson Boulevard between Des Plaines Avenue and Madison Street.

The 15th Street project is part of the village’s longer-term effort to replace water mains with separate sewer and water lines to increase sewer capacity and, with it, reduce flooding. The project received $360,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding through a Cook County grant, with the village planning to use up to $40,000 from its capital fund as a local match.

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While the village estimates put the project costs at $377,000, the lowest bid, which was submitted by Downers Grove based Uno Construction, came in at $392,450. This is still under budget, but with less room to cover any unexpected cost overruns. 

The village also entered into a $35,860 contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Forest Park’s long-time engineering consultant, to do a final design and provide engineering services for the rehab of four alleys that Village Administrator Moses Amidei previously told the council were in particularly dire condition. The village plans to repave the east-west alley directly south of Madison Street, between Elgin and Harlem avenues, and a north-south alley north of Roosevelt Road, between Elgin, Harlem and Filmore, this year. 

Finally, Forest Park plans to replace the Jackson Boulevard lead lines while repaving a portion of the street. The state Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act requires the village to replace all lead lines over the next 20 years, and Amidei previously said it made sense to replace the estimated 9-10 lines while the street was already being dug up.

The lowest bid for the resurfacing portion of the project, which was submitted by Bensenville-based Lindahl Brothers Inc., was $485,406. $418,000 of the costs will be covered through the federal Surface Transportation Program grant, and the rest will be covered with village Motor Fuel Tax Revenue.

The village estimates that the lead line replacement portion will cost around $90,000.

In his report to the council, Amidei said Forest Park is in for “a busy summer.”

“We’ll see a lot of work going on,” he said. “Be on the lookout with our newsletters and social media in the next month or so. We will blast out what public can expect in terms of timelines and detours and everything that goes into it.”