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DeKalb City Council approves street, intersection and public-safety contracts; Corn Fest permits cleared
Summary
At its March 24 meeting the DeKalb City Council approved multiple resolutions including contracts for street maintenance and intersection work, purchase of firefighting gear and special-event permits for Corn Fest; votes were unanimous where recorded.
DeKalb — The DeKalb City Council on March 24 approved a package of resolutions covering street maintenance and reconstruction projects, the purchase of firefighter protective gear, and special-event permits for the city’s annual Corn Fest.
The council voted to authorize engineering and construction contracts and to appropriate local matching funds where required. Council members approved all listed items by roll call; in each recorded vote the five named members voted aye.
The most significant items approved were: - Resolution 2025-030: Authorizing agreement for construction engineering services with Fairgram for the 2025 general street maintenance program, in an amount not to exceed $252,000. (Passed by roll call.) - Resolution 2025-031: Awarding a construction services contract to Landmark Contractors Inc. for pavement reconstruction through the Annie Glidden Road underpass, in the amount of $206,050.25. (Passed by roll call.) - Resolution 2025-032: Accepting the qualifications-based selection of Fairgram to perform construction engineering services for the Lucinda Avenue/Normal Road intersection reconstruction and authorizing the city manager to sign standard Department of Transportation selection documents. (Passed by roll call.) - Resolution 2025-033: Authorizing Fairgram to perform construction engineering services for the Lucinda/Normal intersection in the amount of $198,000 and appropriating $39,600 of local funds as the city’s 20% match for a federal surface transportation grant. City staff said the full contract is $198,000 and the local share is $39,600 (the remainder is federally funded). (Passed by roll call.) - Resolution 2025-034: Waiving competitive bidding and approving the purchase of structural firefighting gear from Air 1 Equipment Inc. in the amount of $151,595 plus shipping; staff said buying all sets together produced a lower per-set cost and was timed to equip personnel for a new station and to replace aging sets. (Passed by roll call.) - Resolutions 2025-035, 2025-036 and 2025-037 (omnibus): Authorizing a special-event agreement and nonprofit liquor license for DeKalb Corn Fest 2025 and approving regulation of traffic on Illinois Route 38 (Lincoln Highway) for the festival. (Passed by roll call.)
Other routine business approved on the consent agenda included minutes of the March 10, 2025 regular meeting, an accounts payable and payroll item described on the agenda as “through 03/24/2025 in the amount of $3,432,502 and $512.27,” and the February 2025 FOIA report.
City staff briefed council members and members of the public on the street program selection process and project timing. Zach Hill, identified on the record as the city engineer, described a five-year pavement condition index program the city uses to prioritize zones of streets for maintenance so crews can work efficiently. On the Lucinda/Normal project staff said a full closure is planned to begin May 13 (the Monday after university graduation) and that the work is scheduled as a summer project with the intersection open before students return in the fall.
When discussing the federal/state funding split for the Lucinda/Normal contract, staff explained the $198,000 fee is the total for construction engineering, of which roughly 80% is federally funded and 20% is the city’s local match; the agenda appropriation covers the local share.
Votes at a glance (per roll calls recorded in the meeting transcript): for each listed resolution the council recorded five ayes and zero nays or abstentions. The meeting transcript names Alderman Perkins, Alderman Powell, Alderman Verbick, Alderman Larson and Mayor Barnes in roll-call confirmations for those votes.
The council also heard public questions about how streets are selected for maintenance and about project timing and transitions between asphalt and concrete; staff said such details are managed through their PCI mapping and routine patching or mill-and-fill work.
No items on the agenda required an executive session and the meeting adjourned after the votes.
