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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.1 Minutes May 19, 2026Village of Mount Prospect Regular Meeting of the Village Board Tuesday, May 19, 2026 / 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hoefert called the Regular Meeting of the Village Board to order at 7:06 p.m. in the Board Room at Village Hall, 50 S. Emerson St. ROLL CALL Members present upon roll call by the Village Clerk: Mayor Paul Hoefert, Trustee Vincent Dante, Trustee Beth DiPrima, Trustee Terri Gens, Trustee Bill Grossi, Trustee John Matuszak, Trustee Colleen Saccotelli Absent: None A quorum was present. 2.1. Pledge of Allegiance -Trustee Vince Dante APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.1. Minutes of the regular meeting of the Village Board — May 5, 2026 Motion by Colleen Saccotelli, seconded by Vincent Dante to approve the minutes of the regular Village Board meeting of May 5, 2026: Yea: Vincent Dante, Beth DiPrima, Terri Gens, Bill Grossi, John Matuszak, Colleen Saccotelli Nay: None Final Resolution: Motion Passed MAYORS REPORT 4.1. Mayor's Comment Mayor Hoefert noted that the Village is moving into its summer meeting schedule and reminded residents to check the Village website to confirm meeting dates. COMMUNICATIONS AND PETITIONS-CITIZENSTO BE HEARD Dutch DeGroot Resident, Vietnam Army Veteran; Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1337 o Addressed the Board regarding upcoming Memorial Day activities o Noted that the VFW Post would be assisting the Police Department with a ruck march the Saturday prior to Memorial Day. The event is family- and pet -friendly, with hot dogs and snacks provided through a donation from the Lions Club and encouraged community participation. CONSENT AGENDA Motion by Terri Gens, second by Colleen Saccotelli to approve the consent agenda as presented: Yea: Vincent Dante, Beth DiPrima, Terri Gens, Bill Grossi, John Matuszak, Colleen Saccotelli Nay: None Final Resolution: Motion Passed 6.1. List of Bills - April 29, 2026, to May 12,2026 - $5,831,677.76 OLD BUSINESS - None NEW BUSINESS - None VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT 9.1. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MELAS-MEADOWS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE Director of Public Works Sean Dorsey presented a comprehensive overview of the Melas- Meadows Pedestrian Bridge project, which has been in development for over a decade. The bridge is intended to address a significant gap in pedestrian and bicycle connectivity across Northwest Highway and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks — a stretch of more than one mile with no safe crossing for non -motorized users. The project was characterized as a key component of the Village's bike plan and broader goal of connecting the north and south sides of Mount Prospect. Project Design and Engineering The bridge is a custom -designed structure featuring a main span of over 200 feet crossing both the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Northwest Highway. The ramps are curvilinear and will land in Meadows Park and partially in Melas Park on village -owned right-of-way. The deck will be concrete, the superstructure and railings steel, and the bridge will be fully lit and ADA- compliant. Director Dorsey emphasized that the Board's original charge to staff was to design a "showpiece" bridge that Mount Prospect could be proud of, rather than a standard prefabricated structure. Phased Development The project proceeded through three phases: Phase 1 (preliminary engineering, begun around 2020-2021) involved a broad coalition of stakeholders including IDOT, Union Pacific, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Federal Highway Administration, multiple park and school districts, and neighboring municipalities. Phase 2 (design engineering, begun in 2023) produced a complete bid package, secured a permanent easement from the Mt. Prospect Park District for bridge landing in Meadows Park, and — notably —obtained a permanent easementfrom Union Pacific Railroad over their right-of-way, described by IDOT as an extremely rare achievement for any Illinois municipality. Phase 3 (construction and construction engineering) was initiated with the bidding process in early2026. Bid Results Bids were opened on April 24, 2026. Eight contractors held bid documents, but only three submitted bids. The low bid was submitted by Dunnet Bay Construction Company at $10,744,242.85, approximately $2 million above the engineer's estimate of $8.7 million. Director Dorsey attributed the variance primarily to the custom nature of the bridge, escalating costs of steel, concrete, and fuel across the broader economy, and contractors' anticipation of winter concrete construction conditions due to a bid date delay from January to April. The second and third bids came in approximately$1 million and $2 million higher than Dunnet Bay's bid, respectively. Staff also contacted non -bidding plan holders, who indicated theywere too busy, could not compete with Dunnet Bay's pricing, or lacked the technical expertise for a bridge of this complexity. For these reasons, staff concluded that rebidding the project would not yield a lower result. Fundin Following the bid opening, staff worked with the Northwest Municipal Conference and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to secure an additional $2,188,000 in Surface Transportation Program (STP) Shared Urban funds. The total grant funding package for all phases now stands at approximately $10,159,315, or 88% of total construction -phase costs. The Village's local share for the construction phase is $1,441,209—approximately 12% of construction costs. Director Dorsey noted the similarity in cost to a standard at -grade crossing, and cited a comparable bridge recently constructed in Elk Grove Village entirelywith local funds atjust under $9 million. The full grant breakdown includes: a Cook County Invest grant ($61,000 for Phase 1); an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) grant ($3,000,000); STP Shared funds from CMAP ($4,220,000); a Congressional community projectfundinggrantfrom Congressman Mike Quigley ($517,400); and a grant from the Illinois Commerce Commission Great Rail Crossings Protection Fund ($3,000,000). Staff Recommendation Staff recommended thatthe Board concurwith IDOT's award to Dunnet Bay Construction Company and authorize the Mayor to execute the Joint Funding Agreement and Local Public Agency Engineering Services Agreement. Director Dorsey acknowledged that the agreement forms included in the agenda packet contain figures that have since been updated due to the additional grant secured after bid opening, and that IDOT's standard process calls for updated forms to be submitted for the Mayor's signature following formal award — a process the Village has followed successfully on prior IDOT projects. Director Dorsey recognized key staff members who worked on the project: Village Engineer Matt Lawrie, Deputy Director Jason Leib, Project Engineer Luke Forsman, and former Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker, who helped initiate the project. Board Comments• Mayor Hoefert spoke in strong support of the resolution, emphasizing that when the bridge was first proposed, there was no funding pathway, and that the funding landscape had changed dramatically. He characterized the project as connecting not merely two parks, but the north and south halves of Mount Prospect, and stated it would be a mistake to forgo nearly$11 million in grants for a $1.4 million local contribution. Trustee Saccotelli echoed the Mayor's remarks, noting that the Village's local share is comparable to what it would spend on a single at -grade crossing. She praised the multiple layers of government and stakeholders whose support was demonstrated through grant commitments, and called the project forward -thinking and transformative for the community. Trustee Gross outlined his deliberative framework for major projects —assessing home rule authority, community benefit, safety implications, and cost. While acknowledging staff's exceptional work on funding, he stated his opposition based on his conclusion that the bridge is a "want" rather than a "need," noting no injuries have occurred at the location. He expressed concern that the bridge's height and long curvilinear ramps would constitute an "attractive nuisance," drawing misuse by cyclists, e-bikes, scooters, and skateboarders. He also raised concerns about graffiti, and maintenance. He stated that his primary reason for opposing the project was the Liability it could create for the Village. Trustee Dante acknowledged the extraordinary effort by staff in pursuing grants and expressed respect for all perspectives. However, he expressed reservations about the bridge's potential misuse by e-scooters, skateboarders, and similar devices, and noted the absence of buy -in from the Village of Arlington Heights, which shares Meadows Park. He also raised concerns about unheard residents who are not closely following the process. Trustee Dante announced he would vote no, while affirming his respect for colleagues who would vote in favor. Trustee DiPrima praised staff for their grant work, particularlythe last-minute acquisition of $2 million in additional funding. She raised concerns about the bridge's scale relative to Elk Grove's bridges, its cost relative to the percentage of residents likely to use it, and the unanswered questions about whether illegal track crossings would actually be stopped given the absence of fencing on the north side of the tracks. She expressed concern that new safety risks — specifically pedestrians sharing the bridge with high-speed cyclists and e-scooters — may be created in place of the risks being mitigated. Trustee DiPrima also used the occasion to call for improved community engagement practices on major infrastructure projects. She called on the Board and Village Manager to establish a more robust notification, survey, and community input process for future major projects. Trustee Matuszak also expressed strong support, crediting staff with the remarkable achievement of securing 88% of project costs through grants. He described the bridge as a quality -of -life investment that residents want and referenced a comparable pedestrian bridge built in 2020 near St. Louis Park, Minnesota — also spanning a railroad—forwhich he could find no reports of safety incidents. Trustee Gens thanked residents who had submitted comments and shared a letter from residents near Melas Park expressing strong support for the bridge, citing direct observations of youth crossing the railroad tracks illegally before and after school. She connected the project to the Village's comprehensive plan goals around connectivity and quality of life, and praised staff for navigating a complex multi -agency process to secure funding at a time when regional transportation funds are increasingly competitive. Director Dorsey provided the following responses to questions from the Board: o Confirmed that construction is expected to begin in July 2026 with completion anticipated by end of 2027. Ongoing maintenance costs are expected to be relatively minor, consisting primarily of periodic bridge engineering inspections (every five years), lighting system maintenance, and landscaping. The steel superstructure's painting system is rated for a 50-year lifespan. o Confirmed that CMAP controls the STP funds, IDOT controls the ITEP funds, and the Illinois Commerce Commission and IDOT control the Rail Crossings Protection Funds, and expressed as much confidence as possible that the grants are secure. o Regarding construction cost overages and the absence of a contingency (standard practice for IDOT bid projects), Director Dorsey acknowledged some concern but noted that staff intends to pursue cost -saving field modifications — such as extending the contract timeline to avoid a winter concrete surcharge (estimated savings of-$300,000) and relaxing the Grade A steel finish specification (estimated savings of-$250,000-$300,000) —to create a buffer against unforeseen costs. He confirmed the Village's prior IDOT projects, including the Rand/Mt. Prospect Road and Schoenbeck Road projects, did not experience significant overruns. o Clarified that the contract is unit -price based and could change if quantities differ from estimates or if unanticipated field conditions require a change order, but that routine material price increases during the contract period are absorbed by the contractor. Public Comment: Pat Nuccio Resident o Acknowledged the grant funding but questioned whether the bridge would see sufficient use to justify the expenditure. o Raised safety concerns based on observed misuse of existing park features by cyclists and asked that staff work with contractors on noise abatement measures during construction. Director Dorsey responded, noting that the noisiest phase —pile driving for the piers —would last approximately two days, and that the rest of the construction would not be unusually disruptive given the proximity to a railroad and highway Shamus Thornton 105 N. ElmhurstAve. o Spoke in support of the bridge, describing personal safety concerns when crossing Northwest Highway at grade by bicycle. o Expressed confidence that the bridge would be well -used and noted that lights and crosswalks had not made the existing crossing feel safe to him. Steve Polit 601 N. Wilshire Drive o Provided historical context, noting the project appeared in capital improvement budgets as early as 2009. He observed that the grant mechanism. Sean Mangan Resident o Spoke in support of the bridge as an avid cyclist, describing the difficulty of crossing Northwest Highway at the Davis Street underpass and at -grade crossings. o Expressed enthusiasm for safer routes for his children. o Commended Public Works for the recent department open house. Duke Dynek Resident o Asked about ADA accessibility and noted that the lengthy ramps may discourage use by older residents. o Raised a question about lightning protection for the steel structure, given its expected height of approximately 46 feet at the highest structural point. Mayor Hoefert provided closing comments. Motion by Bill Grossi, second by Vincent Dante to concurwith staff's recommendation to award the construction contract to Dunnet Bay Construction Company and authorize the Mayor to execute the intergovernmental agreements with IDOT: Yea: Terri Gens, John Matuszak, Colleen Saccotelli, Paul Hoefert Nay: Vincent Dante, Bill Grossi, Beth DiPrima Final Resolution: Motion Passed Resolution No. 9-26 9.2. As submitted No additional report. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Gens and Trustee Dante recognized Public Works staff for the Department's Open House, which was well -attended with over 1,300 hot dogs served, and praised the Lions Club for their volunteerism. Trustee Grossi, with additional remarks from Dutch of the local VFW Post, recognized a young resident, Michael Sieniawski, who won second place in the national VFW Patriot's Pen essay contest out of approximately40,000 applicants, along with an associated scholarship award. Michael was also announced as the speaker for the upcoming Memorial Day ceremony. ADJOURNMENT With no additional business to conduct, Mayor Hoefert asked for a motion to adjourn. Trustee Grossi, seconded by Trustee Dante, motioned to adjourn the meeting. By unanimous voice vote, the May 19, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Karen M. Agoranos Village Clerk