Demolition Company Awarded Bid At Former Bess Hardware Site

GLENVIEW, IL — With project completion planned for next month, Fowler Services Inc. was awarded a contract as part of a resolution by the Glenview Village Board last week to finish the demolition of the former Bess Hardware site at 1850 Glenview Road. The Elgin company was the lowest bidder with a bid price of $78,650.

Fowler Services has previously done work for the City of Kenosha, McHenry County, the Northbrook Park District, and the City of Elgin, and their "work has been satisfactory," according to Village Manager Matthew Formica.

According to the Village, there are "sufficient" funds in the 2020 Corporate Fund budget for this project.

When the demolition is completed, The Drake Group is expected to proceed with a mixed-use development plan for the vacant 1-acre parcel, which is currently owned by the Village of Glenview, that has sat vacant for nearly a decade. The five-story design calls for 68 luxury rental units, the majority of which would be one-bedroom apartments ranging between about 700 to 900 square feet. The ground floor will also include 3,000 square feet of retail space, which would be occupied entirely by a bakery, Sweet Mandy B's. There will also be 88 parking spaces at the location.

The Village is receiving a cost share with The Drake Group on the demolition whereas it can use $25,000 of Drake’s escrow money currently held by the Village towards the building demolition costs with the remaining costs of the demolition initially covered by the Village. According to the agenda from the Nov. 5 meeting, upon the closing of the sale of the property to Drake, the Village would be reimbursed for any Village funds expended towards the demolition of the building. If the sale of the property were not to proceed the Village would not be reimbursed for the remaining demolition costs from the Drake Group.

"I think it's really important we hold ourselves to the same standards as a private business would be held to," Village Trustee Deborah Karton said. "I just think tearing down the building is a must."

According to the Village, the condition of the building continues to deteriorate with needed repairs to an existing leaking roof and two furnaces to heat the space. During the past two years, the Village has expended $3,382 to maintain the furnaces and make necessary check valve repairs to the building. The estimated maintenance costs projected to fix the roof would be $18,500 (one-time) and $10,000 (ongoing) to maintain two of the three existing rooftop furnaces, with one of the two units "needing significant repairs to operate and the third unit being inoperable."

In June, the Station Place Townhouse Condominium Association, Prairie Street Townhomes Condominium Association and several individual property owners joined together to sue the Village, claiming the development is too big and dense for its location. Residents and dissenting trustees have long raised concerns about the density of the development, its appearance and its impact on parking and traffic. While the demolition plan appears to be moving forward, the lawsuit against the Village is still in court.

The Village's motion to dismiss the court case will be heard at 2 p.m. Feb. 4, 2021 in the courtroom of Judge Alison C. Conlon.

Nearly 1,000 people signed a petition opposing the development back in February.

"If you think you have an eyesore now, you're going to have a larger eyesore when you demolish the building, not to mention the fact that in addition to an unlighted vacant lot in the middle of town in the dark of winter, you're also going to demolish valuable public parking that is presently in use," said Larue Highsmith, a 33-year resident of Glenview, in addressing the board during the public comment portion of the Nov. 5 proceedings.

The demolition scope includes the building demolition and disposal of the dilapidated structure and its contents with the existing concrete slab to remain exposed for the developer to remove upon their construction process, according to the Village. As part of this demolition bid, the utilities to the site would be disconnected, no trees are proposed to be removed, and a fence would secure the site around the remaining concrete slab.

During the bid process, demolition contractors toured the building and upon their inspection noted there may be asbestos in the mastic that attaches the tile to the concrete slab, according to the Village. The Village contracted with an environmental company to evaluate the impacts, which resulted in the necessary abatement of approximately 9,300 square feet of asbestos containing floor tile and mastic and approximately 260 square feet of asbestos containing roof sealant.

"I think to spend money to keep something artificially going that ultimately is going to come down is kind of a waste," Trustee Mary Cooper said. "I want to make sure that we're not wasting any money and that the way this deal appears to be structured is that if the Drake project goes forward, that all that cost will be assumed then. We wouldn't be losing the $28,500 that otherwise would be lost."

Related:
Plan For Former Bess Site Receives Final 'Significant' Approval
Glenview Approves Sale Of Former Bess Hardware Site