Libertyville — Construction work to finish the courtyard and cafeteria addition at Libertyville High School has been delayed and is now estimated to finish in mid-February after contractors encountered unexpectedly poor soil requiring deeper foundation work and the installation of helical piers, district and construction representatives said Sept. 8.
The district’s construction manager, Gilbane, and its project manager said excavation that began in March revealed soil conditions far worse than indicated by older soil borings, forcing repeated additional excavation, redesign of larger footings and a new bid package to install helical piers. “The solution of adding additional foundation support systems … helical piers is what we call them out there,” Edgar Soto, project manager, said as the team described the steps taken to stabilize the foundation.
Why this matters: the slab-on-grade for the courtyard is critical to the schedule; delays there are cascading through the remainder of the project. Gilbane and district staff told the committee the slab-on-grade pour was expected in August under an earlier schedule but the unforeseen conditions have pushed the finish date roughly three and a half months.
What officials said: Tom Fallon, Gilbane senior project executive, summarized the sequence: crews started excavation in March, third‑party testing showed variable results, and one footing required excavation to depths that existing equipment and plan assumptions could not address. After consulting the structural engineer, the team determined helical piers and enlarged footings were needed, then issued bid release packages in April and again this summer. “The slab on grade … was supposed to be finished in August,” Fallon said, “now with this delay is pushing us back 3 and a half months.”
Costs and budget: district staff told the committee that, after reviewing construction and owner-side costs (design, asbestos abatement and reimbursables), the project budget could increase from approximately $16,600,000 to about $16,900,000 based on current estimates tied to the next bid package. District staff said many of the known changes to date were covered by contingency and allowances but this bid package (for additional concrete work and pile installation) is the first time they are discussing work outside the original contingency.
Schedule and next steps: the district will open the bid package on Monday, Sept. 15, and plans to present the bid results at the next board meeting for a vote. District staff said they will provide updated, accurate numbers to the board prior to that meeting. Staff also said they are exploring modest offsets — for example, unused reimbursables — and expect some bid pricing to come in lower than the conservative estimates presented to the committee.
Background details provided to the committee: contractors reported that earlier soil borings were historic records tied to past additions (the original cafeteria dates to 1952, with later additions) and that new, deeper problems were not exposed by the record borings. The contractor said some locations required pier depths as deep as 40 to 45 feet to find suitable bearing strata.
Concerns and constraints: committee members asked whether additional borings could have detected the problem earlier; staff replied that equipment access and the enclosed courtyard limited feasible borings and that hand‑auger testing would not have revealed the deep pockets encountered. Board members also noted that work carried out while school is in session increases logistical difficulty and cost.
What is not decided: the committee did not vote on contract awards on Sept. 8; the new bid package will be brought to the board for formal approval at the next meeting. Final cost impact will depend on bid results and any offsets staff can identify.