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Kankakee County Board approves construction manager, authorizes $6 million state grant for courthouse improvements
Summary
The Kankakee County Board on July 8 voted to authorize the county board chairman to sign an agreement with "fair construction" for capital improvements at the Kankakee County Courthouse and approved acceptance/amendment authority for a $6,000,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to fund the work.
The Kankakee County Board on July 8 voted to authorize the county board chairman to sign an agreement with "fair construction" for capital improvements at the Kankakee County Courthouse and approved acceptance/amendment authority for a $6,000,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to fund the work.
The board’s highway, waterways and buildings committee said it vetted four construction managers and spent substantial time interviewing finalists; committee members described the selection as a competitive process and noted the selected firm has personnel who live in Kankakee County and a local office in Bradley. Ben (county staff) told the board the firm has worked at local projects, including a current $4.2 million project at KCC and larger historical renovations.
During a full-board discussion several members and a public commentator raised concerns about maximizing opportunities for local subcontractors and the potential cost impact of bringing in labor from outside the county. County counsel cautioned that restricting bidders by geography can be legally problematic and said the county’s procurement practice is to select the lowest responsible bidder on discrete trade contracts while encouraging outreach to local firms. The board discussed asking the construction manager to distribute bid packets to a list of local contractors.
The board also approved a parallel resolution authorizing the county board chairman to execute and amend the grant agreement with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the courthouse capital improvements. Ben said the grant totals $6,000,000 and that authorizing the chairman to sign amendments will allow the county to manage end-date or scope adjustments as needed for the reimbursement grant.
Votes at the July 8 meeting were recorded by roll call; the construction manager resolution carried and the grant-authority resolution carried as read.
The county plans to return to the board in coming months with contract details and, later, with procurement results from the construction manager’s competitive bid process.
