$3.1M Hinsdale Project: You Won't See End Result

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale is proposing a $3.1 million project, but politicians probably won't be cutting the ribbon when it's done.

That's because the public won't see the finished product.

The village plans to work on the guts of the Memorial Building, which houses village offices and the public library.

The heating, ventilation and cooling systems are decades past their useful life, according to the village. They were installed in the 1960s.

In Burr Ridge, officials are getting ready to replace their 40-year-old Village Hall, saying the building is in bad shape. But in Hinsdale, the village has no intention of leaving its nearly century-old building.

"It is really a testament to our building staff that we've been able to extend the life of this equipment to today," George Peluso, the village's public works director, told the Village Board on Tuesday. "The condition that it's in is pretty impressive for the age of it."

The work is expected to take place through 2028. Later this month, the board is expected to hire an engineer for the project.

Peluso said the $3.1 million estimate is preliminary.

"We're going to value engineer the heck out of it," he said. "We're going to find cost savings where we can."

Asked why the village decided to undertake the project now, Peluso said, "We don't want to get to a point where we have a catastrophic failure where we can't heat the building or cool the building."