Service agreement for designing new fire station buildings approved by Pekin City Council
After nearly a half-hour of discussion, the Pekin City Council voted to enter into an agreement with Dewberry Professional Services for the design of new fire station buildings at Monday’s meeting.
“We have been working toward growing and expanding,” noted Pekin Mayor Mark Luft. “We’re doing things right now to make that happen. We’re trying to connect to (Interstate 474). We’ve done a residential (Tax Increment Financing district). We’re looking at acquiring property. There’s a whole list of things we’re working on and are going to continue.”
Community growth and expansion, Luft added, will justify the new proposed fire stations because an expanding community will need expanded emergency services. The design services will be accomplished in two phases, with phase one consisting of programming and test fit analysis of sites. Pekin Public Works Director Justin Reeise estimated that phase one services will cost the city $36,400. A separate agreement will be brought to the council for final phase design services when the final scope of the project is established. The resolution passed 6-1, with council member Lloyd Orrick opposing the measure.
“I’m not against rebuilding the two old (fire stations),” said Orrick. “I’m just against adding a station. I look at wants and need. I know (the council wants) another station. But I haven’t seen the need to justify one.”
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A resolution approving a proposal from SEICO (Security Electronics Integration Company for the installation of a fire alarm system at Fire Station 1 on Court Street also passed by a 6-1 vote with council member Rick Hilst dissenting. The system will cost an estimated $29,586.
A resolution to award the bid for the demolition of 1410 S. 12th St. and 305 N. Ninth St., to Wayne Litwiller Excavating passed by a unanimous vote. According to Pekin Police Chief John Dossey, both properties had been the subject of numerous complaints from residents and of numerous property clean-ups. The properties have been condemned as uninhabitable.
Dossey added that the city received two bids from the project. Litwiller submitted a bid proposal of $36,300 for the two properties, while CMT Excavating turned in a bid for $11,250.
“While CMT has provided the lowest bid overall, staff has reason to believe the bid was submitted in error and is therefore not a reasonable and responsible bid,” Dossey said.
Pekin Municipal Airport featured prominently in Monday’s meeting. The council unanimously voted to award a $39,781.25 crack seal project to National Industrial Maintenance, Inc., approved agreements with Hanson Professional Services for the design of a new 10-plane T-hangar and a new corporate hangar for a total amount of up to $174,856, and authorized the Pekin Municipal Airport manager to make bulk fuel purchases.
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In other business, the council unanimously approved:
A resolution to determine the city’s 2021 property tax levy as required by the Illinois Truth in Taxation Act. The anticipated levy is $4,699,812 for the city and $1,619,911 for the Pekin Public Library.
An agreement with Enterprise Leasing to provide 10 police vehicles for $107,746.44.
An amendment to an ordinance vacating a portion of Seventh Street and Court Street. The city agreed to vacate the property as part of an expansion project for St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. According to Pekin City Manager Mark Rothert, St. Joseph’s has revised its planned expansion to reduce the size of the new church building, eliminating the need to purchase 706 Court St.
An ordinance amending the Code of the City of Pekin to remove Veterans Day as an observed holiday that delays the solid waste collection schedule.
This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Design work for new fire station buildings approved by Pekin council
