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Trustees split twice over low bid for 401 Algonquin Road demolition; no contract awarded
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Summary
Trustees split on whether to accept Fowler Enterprises' low bid to demolish 401 Algonquin Road after public concern about the bidder. Two roll-call votes—one to deny and one to approve—each failed 3–3; the Board declined to award the contract and discussed options including rebidding.
Trustee Steve Knar led the push to remove the demolition contract for 401 Algonquin Road from the consent agenda, arguing the village should not take a risk on what he described as a questionable low bidder.
"Given the bid was $90,000 less than Baxter & Woodmen's expectation, I am not comfortable taking a chance with someone that has some questionability," Trustee Steve Knar said during the Sept. 16 meeting.
Trustee Knar's motion to deny the award to Fowler Enterprises resulted in a 3–3 roll-call vote (Trustees Knar, Migdal and Wall voted yes; Trustees Curtiss, Hester and Joseph voted no) and failed. A subsequent motion by Trustee Devin Hester to approve awarding the contract to Fowler Enterprises also failed on a 3–3 roll call (Curtiss, Hester and Joseph yes; Knar, Migdal and Wall no), leaving the Board with no approved contractor for the work.
Village Administrator Soderholm told the Board staff had received positive reference checks for Fowler Enterprises and said the village would pursue reimbursement for demolition expenses if necessary. "All the references' responses received were positive; some stating they would definitely use Fowler Enterprises again," Administrator Soderholm said.
Trustees and commenters weighed the trade-off between cost savings and contractor reliability. Trustee Jennifer Curtiss said the lower bid matters: "I feel $35,000 savings is worth awarding the bid to the lowest bidder," she said. Trustee Devin Hester said he did not see reports of gross negligence against Fowler and noted the next-lowest bidder would cost more.
After the tied votes, Administrator Soderholm outlined three possible next steps: a motion to reconsider at a later meeting; rejecting all bids and authorizing the administrator to enter into a contract outside the bidding process; or rebidding the project. Trustee Knar urged the Board to reject all bids and re-list the item for the next meeting.
The dispute drew public comment before the vote: Devereaux Johnson, speaking for III FFC (a foundation for fair contracting), said he had emailed concerns about Fowler Enterprises to trustees.
The Board did not set a firm next step during the meeting; the item remains unresolved heading into the next agenda cycle.