Peoria County committee approves bridge repair, guardrail and engineering contracts; Hutchinson hired for wind-project road analysis

Peoria County's committee approved several highway and engineering contracts and agreements during the meeting, including a bridge repair engineering agreement, a guardrail repair contract, an annual pavement-management contract and an engineering study tied to a potential wind energy development.

The board voted to authorize an engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly for repairs to a 229-foot bridge on Smithville Road. County staff said the bridge, built in 1987, has a sufficiency rating of 88.8 out of 100 and that deteriorating expansion joints and bearing areas require repair to avoid full replacement. The staff-recommended agreement amount was $135,180. Motion: motion by Terry, second by Marci; outcome: approved (passed unanimously).

The board awarded a guardrail repair contract to Northern Contracting of Sycamore for $127,780 after receiving a single bid well under the county's $260,000 appropriation. County staff said an additional four locations that recently sustained damage will be added to the contract at about $15,000 more, and the work remains within the appropriation. Motion: motion by Sharon, second by Matt; outcome: approved (passed unanimously).

The committee also approved the annual agreement with Bradley University to perform the county's pavement management system updates for $30,062. Staff said Bradley inspects roughly half of the county's road network each year and uploads condition data into the county's pavement software. Motion: motion by Betty, second by Mr. Dimon; outcome: approved (passed unanimously).

Finally, the committee approved an engineering agreement with Hutchinson Engineers to prepare a traffic impact analysis and provide technical assistance as the county negotiates a road-use agreement with 4 Creeks LLC, a developer that has been collecting wind data in northwest Peoria County. The Hutchinson contract is an amount not to exceed $80,000; county staff said 4 Creeks will reimburse the county dollar-for-dollar for the contract amount under a separate reimbursement agreement being considered by the executive committee. Motion: motion by Marci, second by Gary; outcome: approved (passed unanimously).

Nut Graf: The actions consolidate routine infrastructure maintenance and planning with a key preparatory step for a proposed wind energy project; the Hutchinson agreement is a critical path item because the road-use agreement must be in place before the developer can file for a special-use permit.

Questions during the agenda item clarified sequencing and financial responsibility. County staff explained that the reimbursement agreement before the executive committee will require 4 Creeks to reimburse both engineering and legal costs tied to the road-use agreement. Staff identified Andy Kite of the Heil Royster firm as outside counsel the county has retained to assist as the primary point of contact with 4 Creeks' legal team.

Ending: All four items passed without recorded opposition; staff and outside counsel will proceed with engineering and contract tasks described in the motions.