Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oak Lawn board approves termination of Earthworks contract after contractor raises communication concerns
Summary
At its Dec. 9 meeting the Village of Oak Lawn approved a consent-agenda resolution terminating, for convenience, a contract with Earthworks Lands Improvement and Development Corp. after the company told trustees it had received little communication and believed its contract was being canceled; village staff said the contract lacked permits, a notice to proceed and a signed agreement.
The Village of Oak Lawn Board of Trustees on Dec. 9 approved, as part of a consent agenda, Resolution 25 21 03 authorizing termination for convenience of a contract with Earthworks Lands Improvement and Development Corporation for the Regional Water Systems Improvement – BP8 Palos Hills Golf Course landscape restoration project.
During public comment, Daniel Davies, who identified himself as the owner of Earthworks and Improvement Development Corp., said his firm had been "on hold for about a month" with no substantive communications from village staff, and that he had been told the contract was to be canceled. Davies said his team had attended a pre-construction meeting, had attempted to resolve permitting and coordination issues, and was seeking clarification "to protect my reputation." He told trustees the company had expected to meet a tight window for supplying materials and cited concerns about potential liquidated damages if timelines were missed.
Village Manager (identified in the meeting transcript) and Public Works Director Bill Meyer responded in the meeting record that the contractor had not completed required permitting, did not have a signed, executed contract, and had not received a formal notice to proceed. Meyer said the village follows its Regional Water Systems (RWS) bidding specifications and that certain steps had not been completed by the bidder.
The consent agenda, which included multiple ordinances and resolutions, was moved and seconded and then approved by roll call. The termination of the Earthworks contract appears on the consent slate as Resolution 25 21 03 and was enacted without separate debate on the floor.
The board did not record a separate roll-call of individual trustees for each consent item on the record beyond the single consent motion approval. The village clerk later presented a disbursement resolution (2025-20D) for $14,094,119.68 that the board approved by roll call.
What happens next: Because the termination was approved as part of the consent agenda, the village did not provide additional on-the-record steps, such as an implementation timeline, during the meeting. The transcript shows the village intends to follow procurement and permitting rules before work proceeds; any appeals, claims, or further staff actions were not detailed on the public record at the meeting.
