Evanston council approves Sunrise Engineering contract to design roof replacement for 70-year-old water tank

The Evanston City Council voted on a resolution to hire Sunrise Engineering LLC to design and provide construction-management services for replacement of the roof and internal supports at the city's Water Tank No. 2.

City staff told the council the tank, built roughly 70 years ago, still has a usable structure but the roof and submerged supports have reached the end of their service life. "The moral of this story is we have a water tank that needs a new roof," said Mister Newsome, presenting the project and timeline. The project will be paid from the water enterprise fund.

Staff said the city issued a request for proposals in December, received two responses, and selected Sunrise Engineering as the firm that best fit the project. Officials said they expect to begin design work this year and aim to put the work out to bid so contractors can complete repairs during a low-demand season when tanks are less heavily used.

Council made a motion to pass Resolution 2604 and approved it by voice vote. No roll-call tally was read into the record; the mayor stated the resolution was approved following the ayes. The city indicated the contract will move forward to execution and design tasks will begin under the water enterprise budget.

The council did not set a firm construction start date but discussed the goal of completing site work in winter months when water demand is lower to minimize system impacts.