|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
News
School board OKs pact for Route 71 work : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisSchool board OKs pact for Route 71 work
| Project in front of Oswego High and East View includes signals, more lanes
| by Lyle R. Rolfe
| 1/28/2010
|
A contract was awarded Monday night by Oswego School District Board members for improvements to Ill. Route 71 in front of the Oswego High School and East View Elementary School.
Geneva Construction Co of Aurora was awarded the road contract with its bid of $805,680. The bid was the lowest of four. The others ranged from $835,313 to $1,024,499.
Doug Gallois, executive director of construction services for the district, said the bid came in well below his $1 million budget for the total project.
The project consists of widening the two lane highway and installing traffic signals at the entrance to Oswego High School and East View Elementary School.
Other parts of the project include $30,000 for planting grass along the shoulders of the road, $150,000 for contingencies and $10,000 for material testing.
And, he had good news for the board-there is a possibility the district may be reimbursed for part of the cost.
Because Route 71 is a state highway, the district has to follow requirements of the Illinois Department of Transportation he said, noting that planning has been underway for the past six months.
About two months ago, Gallois said he, Superintendent Dr. Daniel O'Donnell and Board President Lynn Cullick met with State Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego, to discuss funding the project.
Gallois explained that a follow-up meeting was held about two weeks ago with Oswego and IDOT officials along with Cross.
"For the first time, I saw a change in some reimbursement possibility for this project. IDOT now thinks the $223,000 cost of the signals may be reimbursable through a Sate Streets law passed last year," Gallois said. "And at the second meeting IDOT said it is now willing to pay for the property easements. There are about 40,000 square feet of easement that have to be purchased along both sides of the road."
Gallois continued, "If we are reimbursed for the signals and easements it could amount to as much as a half-million dollars."
There are no guarantees but Gallois said he is optimistic the district will be reimbursed.
He commended Cross as the lead legislator to work for the reimbursement and said Rep. Kay Hatcher, R-Yorkville, and Rep. Linda Holmes, D-Plainfield, also assisted.
Gallois said they will work with Geneva Construction Co. to see that construction will not interfere with the operation of the two schools.
Most work will take place during the summer, he sai d.
"With your approval tonight, we will order the traffic signals immediately so they can be installed and in operation by the start of school next fall," Gallois said.
He said the money for the road and signals is coming from the $30 million appropriated for the renovations of Oswego High School which are still underway.
"The road work was not originally part of the school project, but because the school bids came in lower than our $30 million budget, we had enough left over to do the road work. And we still won't spend the entire $30 million," Gallois said.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
