Will County says courthouse demolition job went to lowest qualified bidder

The bid awarded for demolition of the old courthouse went to the lowest qualified bidder, according to a statement from the Will County Executive’s Office.

Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant on Thursday awarded the contract to American Demolition Corp. of Carol Stream for almost $1.49 million

American Demolition was underbid for the job by two other contractors.

“Our ordinances require the lowest, most-qualified bidder,” Michael Theodore, spokesman for the executive’s office, said Thursday in an emailed statement. “After a full review, it was determined that American Demolition Co. was the lowest bidder that met the full scope of qualifications.”

The county received nine bids for the project ranging from about $950,000 to more than $2.5 million.

The two lowest bids were from Alpha LM Recycling of Joliet at $949,611 and Dore & Associates Contracting in Bay City, Michigan, at about $1.32 million.

The contract was awarded amid opposition from preservationists and some County Board members who want to keep the old courthouse building standing in downtown Joliet and put it to new use.

Bertino-Tarrant’s office awarded the contract without taking it to the County Board for a vote, pointing to the board’s approval of $2.5 million in the 2023 budget for courthouse demolition.

County Board Chairwoman Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, said the executive’s office had the authority to award the contract without putting it to a County Board vote.

Theodore said preliminary demolition work would begin in November. The county does not yet have a demolition permit and is working on an agreement with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to conduct a historical documentation of the courthouse before tearing it down.