Will County facilities director reviews renovations, in‑house savings and Copperfield, courthouse work

Chair Freeman convened the Will County Capital Improvements & IT Committee and heard a facilities update from facilities staff member Mr. Fern, who outlined renovations, energy upgrades and an ongoing facilities needs assessment.

Fern told the committee the Fifth Floor cafeteria counter was being closed off for security and safety so courthouse visitors could not access the kitchen area, and that the closure can be reversed if a live cafeteria returns. He said the county’s vending vendor, Chris’s Vending, has added fresh sandwiches and programmatic changes to accept only credit cards; “that is no cost to the county,” Fern said.

The update covered several larger projects. Work on the state’s attorney offices on Level 2 is in design and the scope has been adjusted, Fern said, so construction start and anticipated completion are still to be determined. The County is performing interior renovations at 1300 Copperfield after lease negotiations with landlord John Bays; Fern said work is scheduled to start “at the beginning of next month” and that several contracts went out through the county purchasing process (RFQ/RFP) where bids are required for procurements over $20,000.

Fern reported LED lighting upgrades at the River Valley juvenile detention/Justice Center, changes to parking-lot lighting (rebate calculations pending) and several projects being done in-house—saving the county money compared with using outside contractors. Examples cited included a relatively small repair that saved roughly $8,000 and a workstation build-out that saved an estimated $30,000. Fern said the county is increasingly using county trades staff and combining work with ADF and sheriff staff to reduce contracted costs.

Fern also showed a training area at Laraway with movable walls for SWAT and police breaching exercises, and outlined life-safety training: AED and CPR classes coordinated by Phil Smith, with sessions planned for Wednesday and limited to eight people per class.

On facilities planning, Fern said White and Company is conducting a space needs assessment and the county’s facilities condition assessment will be combined with that space analysis. A questionnaire has been sent to department heads; Fern said the two assessments will be “melded” and presented to the committee when ready.

Committee members asked about a damaged sidewalk outside the old courthouse and Fern said the plaza will be fully bid out because a simple poured-concrete patch or exposed-aggregate overlay would not be durable. He estimated the replacement would be contracted and completed later in the year. On the courthouse facade, Fern said material-science reports from contractors and consultants (including Danny Elsner and ESI) were expected by the end of the week or next week; scaffolding will remain until the facade is deemed safe and the contractor is covering the cost to date.

On schedule items, Fern said some Copperfield-related work supports the Veterans Assistance Center (VAC) project; lead times for equipment (for example air handlers and sheet metal) may affect an anticipated November move-in. Fern said the county is currently using the PACE Building for Sunny Hill bed replacement work that was expected to wrap the week of the meeting.

Julie Berkowitz, a committee participant, asked whether contracts for the Copperfield work must come before the county board; Fern explained the county’s standard purchasing rules and said public bids are issued for contracts over $20,000 and that the low qualified bidder is generally awarded the contract after vetting. Berkowitz and other members pressed for clearer timing on bids and for financial detail to be provided to the board.

Several members asked for a current, consolidated list of county-owned properties; staff said the county owns about 31 buildings and actively manages 26, and that an updated list would be sent to the full board. Fern and other staff said they would provide additional detail on leases, square footage and lease-cost changes for the board.

Votes at the meeting included approval of the committee’s March 4 minutes: motion by Member Brooks, seconded by Member Balich; a roll-call vote was taken and the motion passed.

The committee was also told the facilities needs assessment and the facilities condition assessment are in progress and that no major disposals of county property are planned before the county compiles outside assessments and prioritizes departments that are out of space.

The committee set its next meeting for May 6 and adjourned following a motion to adjourn by Member Brooks, seconded by Member Costa.

Ending: Staff committed to circulate the updated buildings list and to return with results of the White and Company space-needs work and the facilities condition assessment once the consultant and staff analyses are consolidated.