TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2024
COMMITTEE ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Mr. Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
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Authority to negotiate and enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Board of Education of School District 154.5 and the Village of Burnham for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the NatureNook Pilot Project 1 in Burnham, Contract 24-279-5F (Deferred from the October 3, 2024 Board Meeting)
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Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to negotiate and enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Board of Education of School District 154.5 (Board) and the Village of Burnham (Village) for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the NatureNook Pilot Project 1 in Burnham, Contract 24-279-5F (Project).
The Project is one of the four pilot project locations for the District’s suburban green schoolyard initiative. Burnham Elementary School, a campus that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade, was chosen to be the first to move forward to final design, with the intent to construct the project in 2025. The remaining three pilot projects will follow with final design now through 2025 and construction intended in 2026.
The proposed Project will transform Burnham Elementary School’s schoolyard into a vibrant and sustainable space by installing green infrastructure (GI) and other site amenities, as depicted in the attached exhibit. The Project is expected to help mitigate flooding in the project area and to serve as educational opportunities for the students and general public about the benefits of GI. The Project will reduce and attenuate stormwater runoff in the vicinity of the project area by managing the 10-year, 24-hour storm event that drains to the GI improvements. All stormwater captured by this Project will infiltrate into the ground, eliminating all captured stormwater runoff into the combined sewer system. The gallons of stormwater storage constructed will be included in the District’s annual reporting to the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the GI portion of the District’s consent decree.
The terms of the IGA between the District, the Board, and the Village will include design and construction of the Project by the District, and future maintenance and ownership of the Project improvements by the Board. The IGA will contain provisions that allow the District to perform inspections after construction. Additionally, the Board will provide payment towards construction costs to cover the non-GI components of the Project. The construction cost estimate at the 60% design stage for the Project is $1,879,380.60, which consists of $1,227,869.40 for GI and $651,511.20 for non-GI components. Examples of the non-GI components are outdoor classroom seating, fencing, and playground equipment. Outside funding sources will continue to be sought to contribute to the GI and/or non-GI components of the project.
Authority to advertise a contract for construction of this Project will be sought from the Board of Commissioners later this year.
Based on the foregoing, it is requested that the Board of Commissioners grant authority for the District to negotiate and enter into an IGA with the Board and the Village for the Project. It is further requested that the Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Executive Director, and Clerk be authorized to execute said agreement on behalf of the District, as well as any documents necessary to effectuate the transaction and conveyance, upon approval by the Director of Engineering as to technical matters and by the General Counsel as to form and legality.
Requested, Catherine A. O’Connor, Director of Engineering, KMF:JK
Recommended, Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for October 17, 2024
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