Sterling awards $4.7M riverfront park bid, drafting $500K EPA grant plan

STERLING — The Sterling City Council took another step toward creating a riverfront park Monday by awarding a $4.7 million bid for construction of a park shelter, restrooms, stage facility, playground, splash pad and plaza as part of its Riverfront Reimagined Project along the Rock River.

Sjostrom and Sons, Inc. of Rockford submitted the lowest bid of $4,740,853. Other bids received came from Winter Construction, $5,879,938; Ringland Johnson Construction, $6,130,001; and Leander Construction, $6,311,000.

The new park along the Rock River at the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Mill site is Phase One of Sterling’s $300 million Riverfront Reimagined Project. In addition to the park and amphitheater, the riverfront redevelopment plan could include worker apartments, a hotel and events center, and a rooftop bar/restaurant for the four buildings at the Lawrence site. That could be followed by market-rate apartments, a fitness center and yet-to-be-determined uses of the National site.

The city expects work on the park to begin in October, with the majority finished by June 2025. An opening is planned for July 2025.

The contractor should have a rough draft schedule for the project within two weeks of the bid award.

“We were pleased to have four bids come in,” Sterling City Manager Scott Schumard said. “We had a fifth bid come in late that did not get accepted, but this one comes just about in line with what was presented in budget terms.”

Brownfields Cleanup Grant

Another aspect of Riverfront Reimagined is cleanup and restoration of the former Stanley National Hardware and Lawrence Brothers buildings. The city in September 2023 received a $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The grant will be used to fund restoration activities at the two company sites to include mitigating soil contamination, diminishing asbestos, and removing-lead based paint, contaminated concrete and hazardous materials in preparation for the site’s redevelopment.

The city in May 2024 chose Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental as their Qualified Environmental Consultant to help plan those activities. Now the city needs public feedback for the drafts of the city’s grant narrative and the Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup and Alternatives for the project sites as part of the application process. Both drafts can be viewed at the City Clerk’s Office at Sterling City Hall, 212 Third Ave., or online at sterling-il.gov.

There are multiple alternatives for cleaning up the sites, including taking no action.

“It’s all about how can somebody eat, breathe or drink the contamination,” said Joel Zirkle, Fehr Graham spokesman. “The floor will become the barrier. The thing that we’re doing is eliminating the way that it can leach into the groundwater at a level that the state of Illinois will not accept.”

Restoration activities could include:

• Asbestos abatement of asbestos-containing building materials: This option removes ABCM from the structures, eliminating the risk of asbestos exposure, and is projected to cost $125,000.
• Lead-based paint removal: This option prevents potential lead exposure during and after the site’s redevelopment. It is projected to cost $60,000.
• Contaminated flooring removal: This option prevents chemical exposure during and after redevelopment, given the condition of the flooring and the scope of renovation needed. It removes contaminated floor decking, eliminating potential exposure to chemicals absorbed in the flooring. It is projected to cost $50,000.
• Hazardous materials removal: This option prevents chemical exposure during and after redevelopment, given the condition and age of the non-reusable materials, and is expected to cost $150,000.

The public will have until Oct. 17 to view the grant narrative and cleanup alternatives and submit comments to Schumard or City Clerk Teri Sathoff. The grant requires all comments to be submitted in writing. After the period for public comment has passed, the council will make a decision and submit a cleanup plan to the EPA.

Naming guidelines for city facilities and buildings

The city has received interest from possible financial investors for the riverfront park. This could include naming rights to the park or its facilities, but Sterling had no policy regarding naming rights to city-owned facilities.

In light of the situation, guidelines were drafted for the council’s consideration based on similar policies used by other communities. The guidelines consider multiple factors, including the contribution amount and the life expectancy of the facilities or equipment. Some spaces could receive permanent names, while equipment and buildings would be named for no longer than their life expectancy.

Other factors for consideration include:

1. If the request is based on an individual’s name:

• Did the individual make a significant contribution to or play a critical role in the Sauk Valley region?
• Does the individual’s “principal legacy” align with the city’s mission and values?
• Did the individual contribute major land or funding to the park or a facility?
• The individual has been deceased for at least five years, or their impact on the community is deemed significant enough to waive the requirement.

2. If the request is based on geographical or historical relationships:

• It should be the name of places in the communities that make up the Sauk Valley area, Sterling or the state.
• Priority should be given to names of landmarks or places that hold historic or geographic significance to the community’s history.
• Names of subdivisions adjacent to or closely identified with the park.
• Local interest points or geographical features near the park or facility.

Other considerations include names that inspire Sterling residents, those that reflect the building’s purpose or legacy and those that consider the community’s diversity. They should avoid duplicating existing names and cannot include offensive language or promote political views, drugs, alcohol, tobacco or gambling.

The council unanimously approved the resolution, which applies to city-owned properties and not those that are owned by the park district.

“This applies to the whole city,” Mayor Diana Merdian said. “It’s not specific to one area or just the park. It’s all-encompassing.”