Town of Lowell eyes new shelter at Evergreen Park
The Town of Lowell will start the reconstruction of the shelter in Evergreen Park destroyed last summer by a tornado.
At the town council work session on April 14, town manager Craig Hendrix said the design for the new shelter he drafted is different from the old one. The old shelter was more akin to a pole barn, Hendrix noted. He said the old shelter was “affordable” for its time.
The updated design from Hendrix has OSB sheathing and shingles similar to the one he designed for Freedom Park. He said it matches a smaller shelter at the park and is of much higher quality than its predecessor. Hendrix designed the new shelter with heavier posts and sturdier beams than the old shelter.
Hendrix asked three construction firms to submit a sealed bid for the project. Hasse Construction of Calumet City, Illinois came in with a low bid of $51,700 to build the new shelter.
The Town of Lowell received $33,367 from the insurance settlement for all the damage in the park, Hendrix said. The town has already used $19,000 of the settlement funds for demolition and tree removal at the park, he noted. Hendrix said there were about six trees that were destroyed in the tornado and the fence at the park was also damaged.
There is approximately $14,000 left of the insurance money, Hendrix said. He would like to submit the claim again now the bids have been submitted to accommodate for adjustments. However, Hendrix doesn’t think the town will get the all the money back due to the old building being of cheaper quality.
“Insurance companies basically have no heart nor do they have any understanding,” councilman John Yelkich said. “It’s going to be based on if there was a mistake on the estimate on that original building. Essentially what will happen, you’ll have to show that the money we received for that building wasn’t sufficient to cover the cost of replacement.”
Hendrix wants to get the ball rolling on the new shelter as Parks and Recreation director Cyndi Hughes is beginning to receive inquiries about it. He said to get the project started, he’s going to need $37,333 in addition to the remainder of the insurance money to award to Hasse.
There was also some electrical work that needed to be completed at the shelter as well, according to Hendrix. He said there will be some lighting that will stay on “pretty much all the time” in the new shelter. Hendrix said they are looking at installing some flood lighting in the gable ends as well as additional cameras to ensure safety and deter vandalism.
Hendrix said they already had to take a lot of money from the Parks and Recreation budget to use for the new trail between the downtown area and Freedom Park. Clerk-treasurer Jill Murr said there will be more money coming in this year, but it won’t be coming until July. Murr said the town may be able to use some money from the County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) Fund or the Capital Improvement Fund.
Murr said the town has already earned approximately $205,000 in interest from the funds from the sale of the water system. However, Hendrix pointed out the interest money will make the bond payment on the new maintenance facility.
Councilman John Alessia seemed concerned about the town using the money from the water system sale, as council appears to be making other plans for those funds.
However, Hendrix pointed out that money would come from the Redevelopment Fund. He noted the park is within the TIF District and as a result the money could come from the Redevelopment Fund. Alessia and Yelkich agreed on using money from the Redevelopment Fund if at all possible.
At the meeting following the work session, council approved Hasse’s $51,700 bid minus the remainder of the insurance money to rebuild the park shelter. The motion passed unanimously.
The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. April 28.