At a July 8 village council meeting, commissioners and Mayor Rory Hoskins voted to approve the advertising of bids for the Ferdinand Avenue water main replacement and resurfacing project.
The water main would be replaced near Wilcox Street and Ferdinand Avenue and cost an estimated $848,000, which would come out of the village’s water funds and Village Improvement Program funds.
Ferdinand Avenue’s water main replacement was expected to be replaced within the next year or two, according to Village Administrator Rachell Entler.
When the village experienced complications for work on Elgin Avenue from Jackson Boulevard to Madison Street, they decided to shift focus to Ferdinand Avenue.
“An additional main would need to be installed at Harlem and Adams that would significantly increase the cost of the project,” Entler said. “Therefore, it was decided to move on to the next water main replacement project, while the issues on Elgin would be performed later on a separate contract.”
The construction on Ferdinand Avenue’s water main comes following years of flooding in that area.
In 2014, the village submitted a grant for water main and storm sewer improvements in the 400 block of Ferdinand Avenue.
The Review previously reported that the area of Ferdinand Avenue near this water main replacement is deteriorating. Additionally, the water main is undersized and nearing the end of its life.
Entler said the village council is hopeful that construction on the Ferdinand Avenue water main will begin by September and finish by November this year.
Village Clerk Vanessa Belmonte and Village Engineer, Christopher B. Burke Engineering will advertise the bids for the Ferdinand Avenue water main replacement and resurfacing.