The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Expense items approved by Dist. U-46 board vote

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved, of $11.7 million in expenditure items at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 2.
  The largest items were construction management agreements with International Contractors (ICI), costing $5.1 million or 5.1 percent of the total project cost, and with Gilbane Building Company (GBC), costing $5 million or 5 percent of the total project cost. Both will be paid for through the capital projects fund.
  ICI will be providing construction management for an addition project at South Elgin’s Kenyon Woods Middle School and GBC for an addition at Elgin’s Kimball Middle School.
  “The size and scope of those projects warrant a higher level of monitoring and guidance thus, a construction management firm is recommended,” both proposals state.
  The proposals add: “Construction management firms provide managerial and logistics services. While they are responsible for all aspects of construction, construction management is most beneficial in the planning and pre-construction phases of projects. Construction managers are able to compress the steps of a conventional construction process resulting in accelerated schedules and reduced costs.”
  A three-year contract renewal with Automatic Building Controls (ABC) costing $973,232 (operations and maintenance fund) was approved.
  ABC is the district’s service provider at 35 buildings for servicing and repairing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
  Costing $357,500, paid for by the nation’s taxpayers through grant funds, the board approved a one-year contract renewal with One Hope United to provide additional preschool slots within the childcare facility,” the proposal states.
  A proposal with Peters Electric and Technology was approved costing $193,391 (operations and maintenance fund). It paid for work completed in August.
  The proposal stated that “additional support was required… to physically inspect, repair and ensure that no incompatible LED lightbulbs were installed in light fixtures districtwide prior to the start of school.” District staff inspected and repaired at elementary and three middle schools while Peters “completed inspections at the remaining middle and high schools.”
  The purchase of two new Gators to replace older equipment from 2005 was approved from AHW, LLC costing $51,368 (operations and maintenance fund). The equipment is used for snow removal and includes snow plows and salt spreaders.
  Also approved by a 7-0 unanimous vote was $2 million in itemized bills.