Harrisburg Council postpones contracts for Greystone work

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Harrisburg City Council met in special session on Thursday for the purpose of moving forward with the remodeling of the Greystone Building in the Tax Increment Finance District.

It had been anticipated the council would take advantage of a twist in Illinois law that allows a body, on a 4/5th vote, to award contracts in excess of $20,000 without a bid.

Only three members of council were present Thursday, with commissioners John McPeek and Ron Fearheiley not present.

Fearheiley has experienced a death in the family, Mayor Eric Gregg said.

Gregg said council would not take action because the General Assembly, in veto session, was re-examining the salaries for regional superintendents, who have been unpaid for months.

By the end of the day Thursday, both houses had passed a measure and it is on its way to the governor's desk.

Gregg said the city has been "under a quick timeframe trying to save 27 jobs (of the regional superintendent's office) from moving to another county," which has made rapid movement on the reconditioning of the Greystone Building important.

Engineer Bill Walker told council quotes are ready for immediate action. However, he said it would be unfair to speak in terms of dollars in the quotes.

"Should you put this out for bid, it would not be fair," he told commissioners.

He did give a peek at the numbers, saying they were near the amount most recently discussed.

At the meeting of council Oct. 20, $148,000 was the number discussed.

Walker said the number then went higher when a performance and payment bond was added.

Walker said the first instinct had been to get the district superintendent's office moved as rapidly possible, but problems were found at the building, which had not been occupied for several years.

"It was laid out for a purpose, but that purpose was not an office building," he said.

The Greystone operation had been designed as factory to manufacture pre-fabricated walls.

It was started using city revolving fund money and was reclaimed by the city.

The revamping will be much less costly than building a building, he said.

Gregg said the most recent conversations with the regional superintendent's office indicates rent will be paid "and we will get the majority of our investment back."

That is good, he indicated, but saving 27 jobs has been the most pleasing aspect of the project.

TIF District money is being used in the work.