Basinger's Construction On Jefferson: 'It's Going To Be A Busy Summer'

JOLIET, IL — It took a lawsuit and a public nuisance declaration from the Joliet City Council to get Basinger's Pharmacy owner Harish Bhatt to finally tear down the vacant Senor Tequila bar in the 2100 block of West Jefferson Street last year.

Then last September, pre-fabricated walls were delivered on flatbed trucks. Construction for the new 5,000-square-foot building for the Basinger's Pharmacy was underway for everyone in Joliet to see.

But over last winter and through this spring, the work came to a halt. Nobody was building the new Basinger's Pharmacy any more and people around Joliet started to notice that.

"Just wanted to let you know that it seems like there is no work being done on the new Basingers drug store," one reader wrote Joliet Patch last weekend. "Every time you do a story, it helps."

On Monday afternoon, Joliet Patch showed up unannounced at the Basinger's construction project. Turns out, there is some positive news to share for a change.

Stephen Fernandez, superintendent with the SCI Group, on Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights, was busy working on the site.

SCI Group is the general contractor and construction manager.

"It's going to be a busy summer," Fernandez remarked. "It's going to be a very busy summer."

Fernandez said that utility work has been taking place during May.

"We have water in the building and the storm sewers are all hooked up," he said.

It was his understanding that work on the building was idle between November and April, but the DuPage County-based general contractor was not sure why.

In any event, Fernandez said the new Basinger's Pharmacy should be open toward the later part of this year.

"We're shooting for October or November to be fully operational," Fernandez told Joliet Patch during Monday's interview. "My boss wants me out of here by October."

He said the windows have been installed, and "we should have the roof done in the middle of June."

The concrete slab for the inside of the new pharmacy could be poured at the end of this week, he said. The original basement from the old Senor Tequila's bar was kept. That basement will be converted into a doctor's office, Fernandez said.

Installation of the roof has been slowed by a supply issue involving the insulation, Fernandez said. "The insulation, it will take us a month to get it," he said.

But, there was something else that happened last week that put a damper on the project — criminal activity.

Fernandez said that copper wire thieves stole about $3,000 worth of copper from the far back of the property on the night of May 16.

The Joliet Police Department is now investigating the crime, Fernandez said.

"Joliet police have added us on a regular route at night," he said. "We just can't leave anything on site."

Related Patch coverage:

Jefferson Street Revival: Here's Why Things Look Rosier Each Day

Lawsuit: Joliet Not Messing Around With Senor Tequila

Basinger's Senor Tequila Property Is Public Nuisance