TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF JULY 16, 2026
COMMITTEE ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Mr. John P. Murray, Executive Director
Title
Authority to negotiate and enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Board of Education of School District 104 and the Village of Summit for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Suburban Green Schoolyard Pilot Project 3 in Summit, Contract 26-195-5F
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to negotiate and enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Board of Education of School District 104 (School District) and the Village of Summit (Village) for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Suburban Green Schoolyard Pilot Project 3 in Summit, Contract 26-195-5F (Project).
The Project is one of the four pilot project locations for the District’s suburban green schoolyard initiative. Graves Elementary and Heritage Middle Schools, a shared campus that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade, is the second of the pilot projects to move forward to final design with the intent to start construction of the project in 2027. The first pilot project at the Burnham Elementary School is underway, and construction will be substantially complete later this Summer (Contract 24-279-5F). The remaining two pilot projects in Cicero and Franklin Park will follow with final design through 2027 and construction intended in 2027 through 2029.
The proposed Project will transform Graves Elementary and Heritage Middle Schools’ 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 and the volume of stormwater storage provided 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 School District, 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 School District. While most of the Project will be located on School District property, catch basins will be installed within the Village’s public right of way to collect stormwater runoff from the adjacent street to maximize the project benefits. The Village will coordinate operation and maintenance of the proposed catch basin infrastructure with the School District in accordance with the Operations and Maintenance plan for the Project. The IGA will contain provisions that allow the District to perform inspections after construction. Additionally, the IGA will include the amounts the School District and the Village will pay towards GI and non-GI construction costs of the Project. The construction cost estimate at the 98% design stage for the Project is $4,867,605.25, which consists of $3,641,047.49 for GI and $1,226,557.76 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 offset the overall cost of the Project to the District prior to contract award.
Authority to advertise a contract for construction of this Project will be sought from the Board of Commissioners after the design is completed and the IGA is executed.
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 School District 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, John P. Murray, Executive Director
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for July 16, 2026
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