From the Landmark
4/28/2009 10:00:00 PM
Bethany Vogelsberg/Staff
Centennial Park work eyed for early July
Final cost 27. 7% higher than initial estimatesBy BOB UPHUES
EditorThe effort to improve Centennial Park and the streets that border it will begin just after July 4, according to Village Manager Kathleen Rush, after trustees last week approved spending over $400,000 in final engineering and construction costs.
According to the latest figures released by the village, the final cost of the project will be just over $536,500. That's 27.7 percent higher than the initial estimate for the project, originally pegged at $420,000.
The long-awaited project has been in the pipeline since December 2005, when the village applied for an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant. Riverside won $336,000 for the grant and initially expected to have to chip in $84,000 in village funds.
Because of cost overruns with respect to engineering, Riverside is on the hook for $200,000 to complete the work.
In its grant application, Riverside estimated engineering costs for the project at $50,500. The total cost for engineering is now expected to run right around $156,600. It is expected that the additional money will come out of the village's capital projects fund.
Trustees voted unanimously to approve carrying through with the improvements at their meeting April 20.
"The trustees' action allows the village to be placed on the June letting," said Rush. "The contract could be awarded on June 15, and they'd start construction almost immediately after July 4, so it can be wrapped up by school."
The additional engineering costs have led to a change in one aspect of the plan as approved by the board. Originally, the plan called for new sidewalks and gutters on the west side of East Avenue. The new sidewalks have been removed from the plan.
However, other aspects of the plan remain, including new planters with perennials along East Avenue, a larger area to accommodate outdoor café seating along the west side of East Avenue and accent lighting for the historic water tower.
In addition, both East and Pine avenues adjacent to the park will be repaved, the concrete service drive in the park will be removed and new landscaping and sidewalks will be installed along the south end of the park.
New grant application for underpass
Since the beginning, the idea of renovating Centennial Park was to link it more closely with the downtown train station and create a railway/water tower campus.
Another aspect of that linkage is a pedestrian/bike underpass just west of the train station at the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Since 2006, when the railroad threatened closing the old underpass linking the two train platforms, Riverside has toyed with building a new tunnel.
In 2008, Riverside petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission for a grant to build the new tunnel and create a green bike-to-rail program for downtown Riverside. But on April 1, Riverside learned it would not be getting a grant from the ICC.
On April 20, however, trustees approved a request by Rush to apply for federal transportation funding for the tunnel. On April 7, U.S. Congressman Dan Lipinski wrote mayors within the 3rd Congressional District., encouraging them to submit up to three proposals to be funded by the federal government in its new transportation bill. Applications were due back to the congressman by today.
According to information provided to trustees on April 20, the village estimates the new tunnel will cost just under $3.5 million to construct and would likely take four years to complete, most of it negotiating the preliminary and final engineering process.
In addition, Riverside will apply for federal grant funding for street improvements to Longcommon Road from Woodside to Harlem and Barrypoint Road from the bridge to the railroad tracks.
Years back I questioned the reason to take the centennial grant when it was being pitched as something that would have cost us about $85K. What we are getting was not worth it then and isn't worth it now at over $200K and counting. This project, like others, has never been vital to the Village and will do little to enhance what already exists.
This is a leftover from the rejected era of the TOD when they wanted to rezone and build condos on Pine along with a multi-level parking garage and build the western-approach tunnel that I see they are still hankering for. All this was to be the "front yard" for the hulking VC which doesn't have one of it's own. How this "links" the tiny, postage stamp sized space that is Centennial to the train station is beyond me. This is like one of those gated communities along County Line Road that went belly up, the kind they call "Oak Forest" or Timber Ridge. You know, no timber and no ridge. Like Topsy, this project just grew and became part of that "Golden Age" we recently passed through. In reality this is simply another "artist's misconception" that includes a few planter beds and more paving. A $50,000 removal of that driveway and landscaping job could have accomplished this without all the engineering and cutting that big tree.
This is how the money goes, folks. $65K here and $200K there and pretty soon... Hopefully this is the last "improvement" this Board has on the shelf for us.
