Joliet council committee refuses to OK $20M contract for city square, Chicago St. redesign

A Joliet City Council committee wants more information on why the low bidder was disqualified before a vote Tuesday on a contract to build a downtown plaza and rebuild Chicago Street.

The council is slated to vote on a $20.1 million bid from Austin Tyler Construction of Elwood to serve as general contractor for the job, which includes upgraded water and sewer lines on Chicago Street.

But on Monday, the council’s Public Service Committee reviewed the project and refused to recommend approval of Austin Tyler, saying it wanted to know more about why the only other bidder for the job was disqualified.

Lindblad Construction of Joliet put in a bid at $19.4 million.

“They did not have the correct paperwork in order,” Public Works Director Greg Ruddy told the committee.

According to city staff, Lindblad has filed documentation with the Illinois Department of Transportation to be listed as a qualified subcontractor with the state but not as a general contractor.

Ruddy, pressed by the committee on whether the city bid documents specified that bidders had to be registered with IDOT as general contractors, said he would report back to them on Tuesday before the vote.

The state has pledged $5.5 million to support the downtown project, money that city staff says would be pulled back if Joliet gives the job to a bidder that does not meet IDOT requirements.

City Manager Beth Beatty told the full council at a workshop meeting, which followed the meeting of the Public Service Committee, that staff consulted with IDOT on the Lindblad bid.

“They said they (Lindblad) don’t qualify because they are a subcontractor,” Beatty said. “If they do not qualify, IDOT will not give us the money.”

Public Services Committee Chairman Larry Hug questioned whether the city bid documents specified that contractors needed to be registered as general contractors.

Hug also said he was concerned about the cost of the city square project, which now is set at $9 million.

“It was supposed to be $8 million or $8.5 million maximum,” Hug said. “It’s well above that now.”

According to city staff, the Austin Tyler bid sets costs at $9 million for the square, $7.5 million for Chicago Street improvements, and $3.6 million for water and sewer work.

In August, the cost of the square project was estimated at between $6 million and $10 million by city staff.

Councilwoman Sherri Reardon, also on the Public Service Committee, said she wanted clarification on the Lindblad bid before voting on the contract.

However, Reardon later said she was prepared to vote on the contract depending on what staff says on the bid specifications.

A delay in contract approval could jeopardize the completion of the project. City officials want it done by 2026, the 100th anniversary year for Route 66. The historic highway runs through downtown Joliet. City officials expect a boost in travelers and want the square and remodeled Chicago Street ready by 2026.

The completion date for the downtown contract is set at December 2025. But much of the 2024 construction season has already passed.