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Board approves additional asbestos abatement and foundation redesign work for LHS cafeteria project
Summary
The board approved an additional asbestos abatement contract and moved forward with bids for helical piers/push piles after contractors discovered more asbestos and unsuitable soils under the cafeteria courtyard; the board also rejected one high bid and asked the construction team to pursue alternatives.
On May 12 the Community High School District 128 board met in a special session and approved extra asbestos abatement work and made bid decisions tied to the Vernon Hills High School cafeteria renovation project after contractors uncovered unforeseen conditions.
The board approved an additional asbestos abatement contract with Nationwide Environmental and Demo LLC for $60,500 (motion moved by Poland, seconded by Legal) to address asbestos discovered during demolition that exceeded the original contingency. District staff described hidden asbestos found above a kitchen ceiling and inside ductwork and pipe chases that became visible only after demolition. "We had contingency in the original amount, and we used that contingency up," a district construction official said, adding that the newly discovered materials required rebidding the additional abatement work.
The board also approved recommendations for helical piers and push piles needed because subsurface soils under the enclosed courtyard were not suitable for the originally designed footings. Staff described a re-design that added deep foundations (helical piers) to ensure the addition’s stability. The motion approved O2B (to Gilco) and 31A (to Safeguard) and rejected O3B because the O3B price came in "way too high," staff said; the construction manager and design team will pursue alternative solutions for the rejected package.
Board members asked for more photos of work areas on future bid materials; staff agreed to include additional pictures in future bid packets. Votes on the asbestos contract and the helical-pier/push-pile package passed with recorded ayes from present board members (roll call recorded: Deshmukh, Flegal, Hessel, Kotwal, Poland, Austin; Batson absent). The board then convened a closed session on collective bargaining and personnel matters and announced no action would follow the closed session.
District staff emphasized that state law requires rebidding when change orders exceed 10% of a bid estimate, which is why additional work was publicly bid rather than handled as a simple change order. Staff told the board they added another contingency to the new abatement contract in case further unknowns are uncovered during demolition.
