Vernon Hills hires Christopher Burke Engineering for Harvey Lake master plan, contract not to exceed $100,976

The Vernon Hills Village Board on Feb. 18 approved Ordinance 2025-019 to award a professional services contract to Christopher Burke Engineering for the Harvey Lake master plan, not to exceed $100,976.

Director Bonata told the board the project will include data collection, aquatic and tree surveys, topographic work, public outreach, development of short- and long-term ecological stewardship and maintenance plans, and concept civil/site design for recreational improvements. "We would do public outreach, and then they would create both a short-term plan for ecological stewardship as well as an ongoing maintenance plan," Bonata said.

Bonata said the village solicited qualifications from three firms—Christopher Burke, James Anderson Company, and Baxter & Woodman—and selected Christopher Burke based on similar project experience and in-house civil and environmental capabilities. The board discussed past work with Christopher Burke and then voted unanimously to approve the contract.

The contract authorization directs staff to finalize scope and costs consistent with the board-approved not-to-exceed figure and to proceed with the outreach and planning steps described. No additional budget line items were detailed during the meeting; the ordinance authorizes the contract amount presented.

Next steps as described in the meeting include the village and consultant proceeding with data collection and public engagement to inform conceptual plans for the Harvey Lake parcel.