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Board approves North Oakland reconstruction contract, keeps stormwater tree wells with TID‑5 funding
Summary
After debate about green infrastructure and cost, trustees awarded a $5,045,347.90 contract to Cygnigo Company Inc. for the North Oakland Avenue reconstruction, retaining stormwater tree wells and noting TID‑5 cash reserves as the funding source for that element.
The Village of Shorewood awarded a $5,045,347.90 line‑item contract to Cygnigo Company Inc. for the 2026 North Oakland Avenue reconstruction project, with the board specifically maintaining the stormwater tree‑well element and citing TID‑5 cash reserves as the funding source for that component.
The board discussed bids and the cost of including tree wells, which staff and trustees said exceeded earlier engineer estimates. One trustee summarized the challenge: while the tree wells provide water‑quality benefits, the per‑unit cost in this bid came in well higher than originally modeled and might not be the most efficient use of limited green‑infrastructure funds.
“It's sad to see something that we've kind of worked towards go by the wayside,” Trustee Ersink said, urging caution about performative measures when costs are high. Trustees discussed that TID‑5 reserves could cover the incremental cost without affecting the general tax levy, and several trustees favored retaining stormwater features funded through TID cash balances.
An earlier motion to award the contract without tree wells ($4,856,107.90) was withdrawn after discussion and a subsequent motion — moved by Trustee Kudo and seconded by Trustee Arndorffer — to award the contract including stormwater tree wells passed unanimously.
Next steps: staff will proceed with contract execution with Cygnigo Company Inc. and move forward with construction planning under the awarded scope. Trustees asked staff to continue looking for cost‑effective green‑infrastructure options for future projects and to provide maintenance expectations for tree‑well installations.
