Polo City Council OKs Congress School asbestos abatement contract

POLO – Polo City Council members have taken steps to ensure the former Congress School can be safely demolished in the future.

Council members unanimously voted Oct. 21 to accept a $66,900 bid from Husar Abatement LTD, of Franklin Park, to abate asbestos in the former Congress School. Alderman Randy Schoon was absent.

There is asbestos in part of the roof, in the floors of a couple rooms on the second floor and a few other places, Public Works Director Kendall Kyker previously said.

“I’m not against spending this money now, but I think we screwed up spending $15,000 on it,” Alderman Tommy Bardell said. “[The former owner] should have just signed it over to us, and then we could do it.”

Council members on Aug. 7, 2023, unanimously voted to spend up to $15,000 to purchase Congress School, plus $2,500 for related expenses, according to meeting minutes.

Congress School is located at 208 N. Congress Ave.

“I honestly have no idea how we got wrapped up in that school project,” Alderman Joey Kochsmeier said. “I was sold on purchasing it to get a grant [to demolish it] because a citizen can’t. Now, we have this cost.”

The city is continuing to search for grants to cover the cost of demolition, Mayor Doug Knapp said.

It has to abate the asbestos now because, if the roof collapses, the asbestos would spread, and the cost to demolish it would increase dramatically, Kyker said.

On Aug. 19, Polo City Council members unanimously voted to enter an engineering agreement with Willett, Hofmann & Associates Inc. for asbestos abatement at a cost not to exceed $7,500.

Per the agreement, Willett, Hofmann & Associates prepared and sent documentation, conducted any pre-bid meetings and building walkthroughs with potential bidders, and opened bidding. Now, it will conduct a pre-construction meeting, do a final inspection on the completed asbestos abatement work and perform a final air-quality test, and review and process contractor pay requests.

City officials had expected the cost of asbestos abatement to be about $80,000.

The city received three other bids in addition to Husar Abatement LTD’s. They were from Nationwide Environment & Demo LLC, of Franklin Park, for $77,200; DEM Services Inc., of Alsip, for $117,000; and M&O Environmental Co., of Mokena, for $269,500.