Committee recommends Kim Construction for Basin 9 sanitary manhole rehabilitation (low bid $584,100)

The Kankakee City Environmental Services Utility committee on April 21, 2025 recommended that the City Council award the 2025 Basin 9 sanitary manhole rehabilitation contract to Kim Construction, the low bidder at $584,100.

Committee members and staff described Basin 9 as the area north of Court Street roughly to Canal Road and approximately from Indiana/Harrison Avenue to the far east side of Kankakee — encompassing the First and Seventh wards. The engineer’s estimate for the work was $615,000 and submitted bids ranged from $584,100 to nearly $1.2 million; Kim Construction submitted the low bid and was noted for prior work on Stone Street.

The project is the first of two planned phases. The contract recommended to Council covers rehabilitation of manholes (lining and internal repairs). Staff described a subsequent phase that will follow televising of sewer lines to identify pipe repairs; that televising work is anticipated to go to bid next spring and, if awarded on schedule, would be a summer 2025 construction item.

Committee members questioned previous repairs at specific manholes and the surface treatment around manhole lids. Staff and the superintendent said the bid specifications were revised to require concrete squares around manholes instead of asphalt, a change intended to provide longer-lasting surface repair. The superintendent confirmed the expected schedule and completion “by fall.” The committee voted to forward the recommended award to the City Council for final contract award and execution.

If Council approves the contract, the work on Basin 9 will proceed under standard public-construction procurement and contracting procedures; the committee noted this is one step in an ongoing multi-year program to reduce infiltration and inflow into the sanitary system.