Orland Trustee Asks Why Major Roads Project Didn't Go To Bid

Orland Park, IL — If you blinked, you might have missed it. Orland Park trustees added about $3.8 million worth of road improvement projects at their board meeting this week to a contract they approved just minutes before. They'll be borrowing the money to do it.

That left one trustee, Jim Dodge, scratching his head. They had just authorized a contract for $1.9 million that had gone through a bidding process to repair neighborhood streets and sidewalks. Then, they tacked on millions more to add nine more subdivisions to the project -- money the village did not factor into its budget. Shouldn't the whole thing have gone to bid?

"I like roads as much as the next resident," he said at the meeting. "But the ends don't justify the means."

"If I knew we were thinking about this, I would have gone to a bidder on this. Essentially this a $3.8 million no-bid contract extension," he said.

John Ingram, Orland's public works director, explained that he was asked to review the options to expanding this year's road improvement projects, and determined there were too many for staff to handle. Because construction -- and bidding -- season is here, to save time, he sought an estimate from the contractor. He said he and his staff were "pleased" with the price and rushed to put the additional request on the agenda.

"The pricing is more than likely better from what we would get from going out to bid?" Mayor Keith Pekau asked.

Yes, Ingram said, reminding the board that the scope could always be adjusted.

The base contract was already on the consent agenda -- or the section of the agenda that groups routine business and reports into one item that can be vote on all at once. The board approved that unanimously. Ingram's request, however, came after the consent agenda was set, so it was added to a separate section and required its own vote.

But when when the two proposals were added all together, the decisions the board was being asked to take didn't make sense to Dodge. He said he agreed with fixing the village's streets, and even adding debt to the budget because its debt load is low. But what didn't make sense to him was why the village, knowing the project could be expanded, didn't put the entire request out to bid to see if they could get a better price for it.

"Sales tax revenue keeps going down and costs keep going up" he said after the meeting. "The fundamental question is... how much do we want to afford?

His bidding concerns were not answered. Orland's trustees approved both the original contract and the extension, with Dodge the lone dissent on the addition.

Austin Tyler Construction of Elwood, IL., was awarded the main construction contract worth about $5.4 million dollars. Some of the other money approved this week will be used for ancillary projects, including tree trimming, and was awarded to other contractors.

The roads that will be repaired, resurfaced or otherwise improved include those in Brentwood, Park Hill, Ravinia Avenue, 135th St., and Orland Park Health and Fitness Center, Arbor Pointe (including Grandview Drive); Golfview Condos (Brassie, Foxbend, Deerfield, and Sunset Ridge Courts); Persimmon Ridge/Persimmon Glen/Persimmon Meadows/Ashford Estates; Seton Place and Tee Brook Villa.