Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Fox River Grove board reconsiders and awards 401 Algonquin Rd demolition contract to Fowler Enterprises
Loading...
Summary
After a motion to reconsider, the Fox River Grove Board voted 4–2 to award the 401 Algonquin Road demolition contract to Fowler Enterprises Oct. 7 following debate over allegations about the contractor and assurances from staff consultants.
The Village of Fox River Grove Board of Trustees voted Oct. 7 to award the demolition contract for 401 Algonquin Road to Fowler Enterprises, LLC, after a motion to reconsider the item passed and trustees debated contractor fitness and procurement alternatives.
Trustee Devin Hester moved to reconsider the prior disposition of the bid award; Trustee Andrew Migdal seconded and the motion to reconsider passed (roll-call recorded in minutes). During discussion, Trustee Steve Knar said he opposed redoing the vote simply because of dissatisfaction with earlier results and that the contractor’s presence would not change his position. Trustee Devin Hester said the board was not "undoing" anything because the prior meeting resulted in tied votes and no formal decision; Hester also said Baxter & Woodman — the village consultant referenced in the minutes — recommended Fowler could do the job and said he did not want to spend an estimated additional "$35k or more" to find another contractor.
Owner Jake Fowler addressed the board during public comment and disputed accusations circulated in an email from an individual at the III FFC foundation for fair contracting. Fowler said the email contained misleading statements about his company and described an on-site accident that was reported to OSHA; according to Fowler, OSHA investigated and found no violations. Fowler said he works on site himself and offered references to confirm his company completes contracted work. The meeting record does not include an independent OSHA or third-party statement; the account in the minutes reflects Fowler’s statements to the board.
After discussion, Trustee Devin Hester moved to award the 401 Algonquin Road demolition bid to Fowler Enterprises; Trustee Andrew Migdal seconded. Roll call recorded Trustees Hester, Joseph, Migdal and President Marc McLaughlin as "yes," and Trustees Knar and Wall as "no." The motion passed and the award was approved. A later agenda item to "reject all bids" was listed but no action was taken.
The minutes do not list contract amount, start date, prevailing-wage determinations, or any required pre-award conditions; those details were not specified in the meeting record and remain to be confirmed in contract documents or staff reports.