The initial steps in constructing a new community activity center at the Frontier Sports Complex are coming together. An $8.55 million architectural and engineering professional services contract has been issued.
The Naperville Park Board awarded the contract to Williams Architects Ltd. at its Thursday, April 9, meeting. The vote comes in response to the successful bond referendum that was placed on the March 17 ballot.
The new facility at the Frontier site will include space for indoor aquatics and fitness.
Commissioner proposed renegotiating contract amount
The park board’s contract award came on the heels of a preliminary discussion last month, shortly after the unofficial referendum results came to light.
At the April 9 meeting, Commissioner Rich Janor suggested revisiting the contract and negotiating further with Williams Architects, potentially to further trim the contract cost. Janor cited the district’s “no bid” approach to this particular contract, which is permissible under state law in specific circumstances.
“In my opinion, we should go back and further negotiate,” Janor said. “I think Williams had an inkling they were going to get this project.”
District staffers indicated they had already negotiated with Williams Architects before the contract was awarded, though the ultimate contract cost mirrored projections shared previously.
“As we approach this massive project … we should have two basic goals heading into this project — one is to get the best deal that we can, like all of us do if we would build a new home or remodel a kitchen,” Janor said.
While making his comments, Janor said he historically has been pleased with the quality and professionalism of Williams Architects representatives on past district projects.
“Williams Architects has been an excellent partner,” Janor added. “They’ve been around for 50 years. They’re comfortable working with our staff; we’re comfortable working with their staff. They completed other projects, including Fort Hill.”
Image courtesy: Naperville Park District
Other commissioners give a different take on contract
All other commissioners in attendance at the April 9 meeting gave a different take on the contract and said they were comfortable awarding it.
“The work has been done,” Commissioner Rhonda Ansier said. “That’s why we were able to take this to referendum — to give the community a good faith estimate of how much this would cost us. … We all want to save money. We have plenty of opportunities coming up in this project to still have cost savings.”
Commissioner John Risvold said he was frustrated by the renegotiation suggestion during deliberations, at one point commenting, “I’m not certain why we’re even talking about this.”
“As somebody who negotiates for a living, I think the really unwise thing to do would be to get to the end of a negotiation and then drop bombs on it and blow it all up, especially when you have the premiere architect who builds, pretty much every high quality municipal center building, city hall, in a 100-mile radius, giving us an under-market value for the contract,” Risvold added.
Risvold’s “under-market” reference pertains to the professional services contract comprising 7.9% of the estimated construction cost. Current market ranges for a comparable statistic within the region reportedly are in the range of 8% to 10%, based on information shared at the meeting.
Commissioner Leslie Ruffing, chair of the park board, said district staffers have done their due diligence throughout the process.
“We’re following applicable state statutes with awarding this contract, which is consistent with our established practice for professional service contracts that have come before this board,” Ruffing said. “We have full confidence in this firm’s ability to deliver on what is truly an extraordinarily important project for this community.”
Executive director speaks about negotiation process
During the deliberations, Executive Director Brad Wilson discussed the negotiations that took place with Williams Architects specifically for the upcoming Frontier project.
“There has been quite a bit of negotiation and work done by staff,” Wilson said.
Ultimately, all six of the commissioners at the April 9 meeting, including Janor, approved the contract award at the conclusion of the deliberations.
Image courtesy: Naperville Park District
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