[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6224136,"mediaKeyId","3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9","parentId",3554353,"title","Evanston committee rejects staff authorization to buy 801–809 Main St.","audioSeconds",132,"startMs",3160000,"endMs",3292000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9&start=3160&end=3292","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9/thumbnail_3160000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6224136/Evanston/Cook-County/Illinois/Evanston-committee-rejects-staff-authorization-to-buy-801809-Main-St","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6224136-e663fbc0347fd39e8e8e835e09d87045/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155492&Signature=gsMqwXRSGXcPEpKhrRpyIYlJwcGeIPzcAl99l-P9diH8LXKJcYiVTWLleptDrlIaLIzH8Mzb2E6ilYh4W-zF8UtZ1BxfUcfgj-UK8RT1HYLetB7P4iiKtvoCP184kw6lTfOoVI-mGqU~9YOLCn7OzYxrhzuMGlQk1fXxKbJoLwnTtm8wfljLoaH9Vi3IcsXNMTQ5Yx0Aglf7HVxhsULvHvnT1Qc~VQO4I1aj-TUQcuGQeWG1egmXI-6DduyS2qpx6eMzmjbPP3y~w6-aKF5U8RG8SIhjDfgeQc0shc7RjcBxHrS~HavO3ZOcggGQW5mkrdXXZv~4Lu~XrR-MOU3qnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Evanston, IL","date","2025-05-28T15:16:51Z","article","The Administration & Public Works Committee voted against a staff resolution that would have authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute the purchase of 801–809 Main Street.

Council member New Smyrna moved the resolution and Council member Harris seconded; after a short discussion the committee held a roll-call vote. The motion failed on a 3–2 vote, with two committee members voting in favor and three voting against, so the committee did not authorize the city manager to proceed with purchase negotiations at this time.

There was limited public discussion in the committee on the purchase during APW. Council member Kelly said she would vote no; Council members Suffreddin and Davis also voted against the authorization. Council members Harris and Nussma voted to authorize negotiation and purchase. The committee’s negative vote means staff will not have APW-level authorization to proceed and the item will not move forward from this committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Administration and Public Works Committee Meeting 5-27-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Administration & Public Works Committee voted 3–2 against authorizing city staff to negotiate and execute a purchase of 801–809 Main Street, sending the proposal back without committee approval.","taxTitle","Evanston, Cook County, Illinois","taxId",2640,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6224141,"Evanston committee rejects $248,000 community-engagement contract for Emerson–Jackson site",498,3329000,3827000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9&start=3329&end=3827","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9/thumbnail_3329000.jpg","/articles/6224141/Evanston/Cook-County/Illinois/Evanston-committee-rejects-248000-community-engagement-contract-for-EmersonJackson-site","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6224141-5c5f4d2fcb031a3a6ba040f84ec9f41f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155492&Signature=Sg5-CsMqkraqqW30s6xntOj4BqAZkpk38PhMkC5ZDsyHd4v87NdzxIeMK4m0H2g2-uV5PEE~1xJLVlVgjGnVO0wrKid~~aziHQwp5r2igjbt8KO~W2b5XTlHHkgDZB0k7b5jT69eBP6As2gNsYFABjpUYxG4HaD8nXqYm2mZONLa6Z5XukFDTwD8EmDEg0lWVTiZCQMOqTiF9aJdn8Yn9LwU~LSm85ZR4jWyl~K-BufYiBWybI15Fbpk5RRiExjEKsq0HPnMYN~mJXUIOaccLV-qo6i9sapv4-tBiLgWh5m~sBdFyIhclrEBSIcxtqDvH4fWBrLS4znPufS-xEcU2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Evanston Administration & Public Works Committee voted to reject a staff recommendation to award a $248,000 contract for community engagement and market analysis related to the Emerson–Jackson parcel, leaving the city without a committee-endorsed consultant for the project.

Staff sought approval to award the contract to SB Friedman Development Advisors; the committee instead voted the measure down and discussed next steps, including whether staff should return with a recommendation to hire the second-ranked bidder at a lower price.

Paul Zalmzak, economic development manager, told the committee the engagement contract was designed to do three things: create educational materials about affordable housing, conduct a market analysis and engage the community to produce designs and materials that could be reused on future affordable-housing projects. \"This isn't just an engagement project around a table with some sticker dots,\" Zalmzak said. He said the recommended team added technical real-estate advisory services the lower-cost offer did not.

Several council members questioned the price difference between the top-ranked bidder and the runner-up. Council member Nussbaum and others pressed staff to explain why the committee should accept a consultant priced at roughly $248,000 when a competing proposal was approximately half that cost. Zalmzak said the higher-priced team performed better in interviews, offered the market-analysis and financial-modeling work requested in the RFP, and demonstrated communications and reusability toward future projects.

Council member Kelly said she was \"not comfortable\" awarding the higher price for what she described as a limited parcel, and asked whether the funds would be better spent on a citywide strategic housing plan or other housing programs. Council member Davis raised a related concern: the city has an in-progress strategic housing plan and staffing shortages in the housing team, and he questioned whether the same work should be done in-house or under a citywide procurement.

Public commenter Tricia Connolly also criticized the overall level of consultant spending cited in the packet and urged city leaders to explore in-house alternatives and partnerships. Council member Burns, who discussed the proposal’s background, said the approach mirrors Chicago’s Invest Southwest model and argued the deliverables — market analysis, communications and community-designed proposals — would be reusable for multiple future sites.

Legal counsel advised that if the committee declined the recommended award, staff could return with a recommendation to award the contract to the second-ranked proposer at a later APW meeting. The committee voted against the SB Friedman award; the recorded outcome was a committee-level rejection, 5–0, and staff said they could return with an alternate recommendation.

Motion and vote: The committee considered a motion to approve the contract award to SB Friedman Development Advisors for community engagement and visioning for Emerson–Jackson. The motion was moved by Council member Nussbaum and seconded by Council member Harris and failed on a committee vote.","The Administration & Public Works Committee voted to reject staff’s recommendation to award a $248,000 contract to SB Friedman for community engagement, market analysis and affordable-housing outreach for the Emerson–Jackson parcel; staff said the recommended firm offered a market-analysis component the lower-cost runner-up lacked.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6224145,"Evanston committee advances Beck Park contract after split vote amid debate over $500,000 pavilion",2061,1180000,3241000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9&start=1180&end=3241","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3554353-6cd8d185521c6c9a81056a284b5d43d9/thumbnail_1180000.jpg","/articles/6224145/Evanston/Cook-County/Illinois/Evanston-committee-advances-Beck-Park-contract-after-split-vote-amid-debate-over-500000-pavilion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6224145-165556550f98966705d67baface66811/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155492&Signature=APESkw3PYsHXviC-ZsULvLwps86hFoOsjVEOLXG2FJqABRSoWi3XnDl2k087uld21mQhgrtxH2kj33xYmM39CtSaeIpEOy0thscNeQbb~PoY01jpX5LqtC0kpVIGOoE8xgS6Di6RSGH1NZ~SFnwLvClzxOQntSHzXjcxhvL0BXzTleVdZoROEHSwYSzvkcRLqrNxVIqSmBlajE~UHM5VprTnnng4AQ42cEexHmVBMuwWEdXV5RH1FDn6XRqSJFbr64mfUlXlTdEYPwMeINJlG5tw9NvTEKsIOG5Hep3bAUvHyQLVMw2Ewbo3w~acYUj0gccQTH2rWfz1fWtn6ZbR7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Evanston Administration & Public Works Committee voted to forward to the full City Council a contract award for Phase 1 of the Beck Park expansion after a split vote on whether to keep a high-cost pavilion in the bid package.

The committee, meeting in person and by Zoom, moved to send the contract with the pavilion as currently specified to council with no committee recommendation after discussion about design, cost and grant risk.

Committee members and staff spent the meeting weighing options for the pavilion — a central feature of the proposed park design — and how changing it now could affect state grant funding. \"The pavilion is really intended to be an anchor to the park,\" Laura Biggs, city engineer for the City of Evanston, told the committee. She said locating the structure in the park center increased costs because electrical service would have to be extended and because community feedback drove a higher-amenity aesthetic.

Council member Nussbaum, who moved approval of the contract, said removing the pavilion would save an estimated $454,000 from the contract price but noted the consultant’s earlier estimate put the pavilion at about $527,000. \"Either number is quite high for it's essentially, a roof with no walls,\" Nussbaum said. She asked whether staff could secure state grant money if the pavilion were removed. Biggs responded that the city had listed the pavilion at $300,000 in its DCEO grant application and that removing it now could jeopardize that portion of the state grant; she said the city could request clarification but would likely not get an answer in time to meet the bid-award schedule.

Other committee members proposed compromise paths. Nussbaum said she favored awarding the contract as bid and later attempting to value-engineer the pavilion through change orders, a course Biggs said could preserve the city's eligibility for the $1,000,000 DCEO grant. Council member Newsomah (mover) later amended and retracted an amendment to remove a small alternate scope item recommended by staff; ultimately the committee recorded a 2–2–1 tally and forwarded the contract to the council with no recommendation.

Members and public commenters also raised broader questions about the project. Resident Brian McCarris, who said he lives in Evanston and rents Beck Park land from the \"Metropolitan Sanitary District,\" told the committee he was troubled by the overall cost and the pavilion price. Other speakers at public comment urged more transparency, asked to see the costs of later phases and recommended discussing whether some work could be done in-house to control long-term outsourcing costs.

City staff outlined the remaining phases: a water-feature concept for children located at the south end (phase 2) and a possible Emerson crossing or underpass to improve pedestrian access (phase 3). Biggs said phases 2 and 3 are not yet designed and would likely be included in future capital budgets if the city elects to proceed.

Motion and vote: The committee considered a motion to approve the contract with John Kino and Company for the Beck Park expansion Phase 1 project bid. The motion was moved by Council member Nussbaum and seconded by Council member Harris. The committee recorded a split vote and forwarded the matter to the full City Council with no committee recommendation.

The project team and several council members said they will seek cost reductions where feasible while trying to avoid risking the $300,000 portion of the DCEO grant, and staff warned that substantial redesigns could delay construction into the following year.

What’s next: The item will be considered by the full City Council; staff said they will continue to explore value-engineering opportunities and will seek DCEO guidance where possible before final council action.","The Administration & Public Works Committee voted 2-2-1 to forward the Beck Park Phase 1 construction contract to the City Council without a recommendation after members debated removing or redesigning a high-cost pavilion that could jeopardize $300,000 in state grant funding.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Evanston committee rejects staff authorization to buy 801–809 Main St.

Evanston committee rejects $248,000 community-engagement contract for Emerson–Jackson site

Evanston committee advances Beck Park contract after split vote amid debate over $500,000 pavilion