Committee approves contracts, speed-zone changes and appropriations in unanimous votes

The Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee on April 2 approved a series of contracts, ordinances and appropriations that the committee’s staff described as routine maintenance, safety updates and project pre‑work. Committee members voted in favor of every item on the agenda; each motion carried with no recorded opposition.

The actions included multiple procurement and construction authorizations across the county: amended sewer service with the village of Hawthorn Woods; temporary easement for Riverwoods for an IDOT roadway project; contracts for water-tower exterior cleaning, ecological restoration and multiple resurfacing and maintenance projects; establishment of altered speed zones on several county and township roads; an appropriation of motor fuel tax funds for winter salt; right-of-way acquisition funding for two segments of the Patriot Path; and several annual maintenance programs (concrete patching, asphalt resurfacing, crack sealing and cured‑in‑place pipe liners). Committee staff said these are routine preventive maintenance and safety projects and that most items resulted from standard design, bidding and statutory procedures.

Votes at a glance (motion, mover, second, outcome): - Consent agenda (item 8.1): motion by Wasek, second by Roberts — carried. - Joint resolution authorizing amended and restated retail sanitary sewer service agreement with the village of Hawthorn Woods (item 8.2): motion by Hunter, second by Roberts — carried. - Joint resolution authorizing a temporary easement to the village of Riverwoods for Saunders Road improvements (item 8.3): motion by Roberts, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with T Corp Inc., Joliet, for water tower exterior cleaning, $214,000 (item 8.4): motion by Hunter, second by Hewitt — carried. - Ordinance establishing an altered county speed zone (Darrow Road) from 50 to 45 mph (item 8.5): motion by Hunter, second by Wasek — carried. - Ordinance establishing an altered county speed zone (Fairfield Road) from 55 to 45 mph (item 8.6): motion by Wasek, second by Hunter — carried. - Ordinance establishing altered speed zones in Libertyville Township neighborhood streets from 30 to 25 mph (item 8.7): motion by Vice Chair Maine, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with Peter Baker & Son Co., Lake Bluff, $791,825.20 for resurfacing various Fremont Township roads (item 8.8): motion by Hewitt, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with Payne & Dolan Inc., Antioch, $133,997.80 for resurfacing various Newport Township roads (item 8.9): motion by Hunter, second by Hewitt — carried. - Joint resolution appropriating $1,605,000 of motor fuel tax funds for salt for the 2025–26 season (item 8.10): motion by Roberts, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with McGinty Brothers Inc., Long Grove, $73,785 for ecological restoration maintenance (item 8.11): motion by Hewitt, second by Wasek — carried. - Contract with Schroeder & Schroeder Inc., Skokie, $465,700 for concrete patching and appropriation of $559,000 (item 8.12): motion by Hunter, second by Hewitt — carried. - Contract with Chicagoland Paving Contractors Inc., Lake Zurich, $820,000 for hot mix asphalt maintenance and appropriation of $984,000 (item 8.13): motion by Hunter, second by Wasek — carried. - Contract with Hoar Construction Inc., $71,225 for cured-in-place pipe liners and appropriation of $85,000 (item 8.14): motion by Roberts, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with S S K C Construction Inc., $28,904.04 for crack sealing and appropriation of $35,000 (item 8.15): motion by Hewitt, second by Hunter — carried. - Contract with Peter Baker & Son Co., $4,261,174.83 for resurfacing Old McHenry Road (Quentin to Cuba), appropriation $5,113,000 (item 8.16): motion by Roberts, second by Hunter — carried. - Joint resolution appropriating $613,000 of the quarter‑percent sales tax for right-of-way acquisition for segments 1 and 4 of the Patriot Path (item 8.17): motion by Vice Chair Maine, second by Wasek — carried.

Committee staff noted that many of the contracts are annual or multi‑year preventive maintenance programs (e.g., tower cleaning every five years, annual crack seal and hot‑mix asphalt programs). Several items use motor fuel tax funds or county bridge tax funds and involve township roads; staff said the county prepares design and bidding documents when townships use state motor fuel tax dollars. Several projects were described as requiring only daily lane closures rather than full road closures.

The committee did not record roll-call vote tallies in the meeting transcript; the minutes record unanimous committee approval for each motion with no opposed votes.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for April 30, 2025.