Mount Prospect not ready to hire construction manager for new police headquarters
Now that Mount Prospect has chosen a location and architect for its new police headquarters at 799 Biermann Court, officials are looking for a construction manager for the project.
On Tuesday, the village held a workshop session planning to hear proposals from the two finalists. It turned out that it would hear from only one, Zion-based Camosy Construction. The other firm, Nicholas and Associates, withdrew from consideration.
Camosy clearly has the edge. It's been recommended by village staff and has worked with Village Manager Michael Cassady and Police Chief John Koziol on police stations in Bensenville and Palatine, respectively.
Nonetheless, Mayor Arlene Juracek and Trustee Richard Rogers said they were uncomfortable hearing only one proposal.
"We haven't had the opportunity to review any of the other bids and now we're being presented with just one contractor," Rogers said. "If we had two, at least we could make a comparison and then make a proper decision. Right now we have Camosy or we have Camosy."
"I think we're all very concerned that this be done clearly and transparently to assure everybody that we're making the right decision," Juracek added.
Camosy was one of seven bidders for the project, submitting a bid of $1,216,806. Nicholas' bid was $1,195,850.
During his presentation, John Camosy, president of the 108-year-old construction firm, stressed its experience with redeveloping existing buildings, as will be the task with Mount Prospect's new headquarters. The company has guided construction of four police stations in the last seven years, he added.
Todd Peyron, a member of the Camosy team, said the firm has a history of finishing projects under budget.
"We're not trying to just meet your budget," he said. "We're trying to beat it."
Before acting further, Juracek said the village board should receive a memo informing them why it should not hear from the third most qualified bidder. Village Manager Michael Cassady said he would produce a report in time for the next board meeting.
Village trustees in March agreed to pay $5.1 million for the Biermann Court building to serve as the new police headquarters. Renovating the 103,126-square-foot industrial building for use as a police station is expected to cost another $22 million.