Minority Contractor Pulls Out Of Liberty Meadows Project

JOLIET, IL — Last year, the Joliet Herald-News ran a big front-page story declaring that Joliet's Housing Authority voted to award the construction contract for the Liberty Meadows Phase III to Bowa Construction. The vote marked the first time Joliet had awarded a multi-million dollar project to a minority-owned construction firm.

But, Joliet Patch has learned, the African-American owned Chicago construction company has informed the Joliet Housing Authority that it was no longer practical for Bowa to construct the third phase of Liberty Meadow Estates for the estimated $12 million to $13 million.

The Joliet Housing Authority has chosen to go with the second lowest bidder, Carlson construction, which has an office on Joliet's east side along New Lenox Road.

The 2019 construction project will consist of 41 new units being built at the Joliet Housing Authority development on Joliet's east side. The upcoming phase III is geared for people who are 55 years or older as rent-to-own properties.

"Bowa construction, a minority general contractor, withdrew its winning bid for our Liberty Meadows phase 3 home building project," explained Joliet Housing Authority Commissioner Bob Hernandez. "I am confident Carlson construction, a local Joliet east side contractor, who was second on our list, will keep the jobs local and union with minority sub-contracting."

Liberty Meadows is one of the Joliet Housing Authority's major success stories.

Liberty Meadows consists of roughly 116 units. The public and private investment development is off North Briggs Street. It was built on the former grounds of the Poole Gardens housing projects. Before it was demolished, Poole Gardens was another notoriously dangerous public housing project that had lots of police calls.

Nowadays, Liberty Meadows has existed for about 11 years in Joliet's Forest Park community. It's now a beautiful subdivision consisting of dozens of single and multi-family homes and neighborhood parks with large playgrounds.

Housing Authority officials are hopeful that construction on phase III begins early this summer.