Council accepts substantial completion on Roundhouse Section 4; lease for Shades Brewery outlined

The Evanston City Council accepted a certificate of substantial completion for Roundhouse Section 4 on Jan. 21 and authorized staff to begin the statutory advertising period ahead of final payment.

Rocco O’Neil of the City of Evanston Community Development Department told the council the architect had issued a certificate of substantial completion and that the city would enter the 41-day advertising period required by state statute before issuing the final payment; the final payment date was discussed as March 11 in the meeting record.

Councilors asked about contract amounts and funding sources. O’Neil confirmed that final payment would be made from the contracted project funding once the contract sum and any change orders were finalized. A council member read a figure from project paperwork — $404,644,011.43 — and O’Neil replied the final contract amount after change orders would determine the source. (That large figure appears in the meeting record and was discussed on the transcript; council documents should be consulted to confirm the exact contract total.)

Council members also discussed the upcoming occupancy and lease terms for Shades Brewery, which will occupy space in the Roundhouse. City staff said equipment move-in was expected in the next couple of weeks; the lease term is scheduled to begin Feb. 1. Staff described the lease as a 10-year agreement with staggered payments that ramp from $0 up to $10,000 per month; the total over the 10-year period was described in the record as $900,000 in total lease payments.

Councilors asked about the brewery’s taproom opening; staff said the business was optimistic about opening in spring but that no firm date could be provided. The council voted to accept substantial completion; the approval begins the advertising period required before final payment and retains council oversight for final contract adjustments and the release of the final payment.