Infrastructure Repairs Complicate Village Hall Renovations

Renovations at the nearly 120-year-old Lemont Village Hall have been under way since late July. The village had hoped to move from its temporary location at the Central School building on McCarthy Road and back into its refurbished digs in the historic limestone building at 418 Main St. by late November.

But unforeseen circumstances have arisen during the renovations that could push the move into January. The project, with an estimated cost of about $1.75 million, includes improvements to the lobby, roof, windows, exterior doors, bathrooms and conference rooms.

As work began at the building, contractors discovered an underground clay tile that had been almost completely destroyed, as well as improperly capped sewer and water lines that had been abandoned during previous building renovations 20 years ago.

Contractors also discovered roof drains tied into sanitary sewer lines and sewage leaking into other areas – prompting the need to completely separate the building’s sanitary and storm sewers.

To identify leaks and other problems in the underground lines, workers have inserted cameras into the pipes – a difficult process in a building that is more than a century old and built on top of solid rock.

“They are busting concrete to get an opening big enough to get the camera in,” said Mayor Brian Reaves at Monday’s village board meeting. “We’ve been working on it for three weeks.”

And, because solid rock rests directly beneath the building’s concrete floor, much of the excavation work needed to repair the sewer and water lines will have to be done by hand.

Due to the previously unforeseen sewer and water repairs that will be needed, the village board on Monday approved a change order modifying the base bid from Unique Plumbing Co. of Brookfield from the original $90,000 to an amount not to exceed $150,000.

The board also approved resolutions to award the Village Hall parking lot storm sewer project to Riccio Construction of Palos Park in the amount of $32,845; the building’s elevator modernization project to Otis Elevator in the amount of $61,076 and roof repairs to Olsson Roofing in the amount of $15,700. Bids for the elevator and roofing projects were not received at the village’s initial bid opening for the renovation project.

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