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TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Ian Wade, Capital Projects Manager
DATE: January 26, 2026
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to enter into an agreement with Fehr Graham of Rockford, IL in the amount of $135,380 to complete a Comprehensive Site Investigation at 720 N. Broadway and submit the necessary reports to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)
PURPOSE:
To obtain approval to complete a Comprehensive Site Investigation at 720 N. Broadway and submit the necessary reports to the IEPA.
BACKGROUND:
The City recently completed the construction of a new Public Works Facility that houses the Streets Division which was previously located at 720 N. Broadway (known as "Central Garage"). Now that the new facility is complete and the Streets Division is relocated, Central Garage will no longer be occupied and due to it's deteriorated condition, is anticipated to be demolished in the coming years.
Among the first steps in this demolition are a handful of environmental assessments of the primary structure and fueling station areas. The first such assessment ("Phase 1") was completed in March 2023 by Fehr Graham, followed by a Phase 2 subsurface site investigation in November 2024 and preliminary sampling for contaminants at the fuel station Underground Storage Tanks (UST's) in July 2025 by others. Based on the results to date, it has been determined that a Comprehensive Site Investigation is required. The scope of this investigation, which is the subject of this request, is broken into two components which are priced and generally described as indicated in the two separate (and attached) proposals and as follows:
1. $102,880 for Site Remediation Program (SRP) assistance - Fehr Graham will complete a Comprehensive Site Investigation of the property and prepare the IEPA SRP Reports to get a No Further Remediation (NFR) determination letter for the site. Note that two options were presented to the City for this item, and the City is requesting permission to move forward with seeking a "Comprehensive" NFR and not a "Focused" NFR, as this will make the site considerably more appealing to potential redevelopers.
2. $32,500 for Leaking UST (LUST) assessment - Based on the contaminants found in July 2025, Fehr Graham will perform additional testing and sampling at the UST's and submit all necessary paperwork to the IEPA to confirm the eligibility of both their services and the removal of the UST's for reimbursement (less a ~$5,000 deductible) through the LUST fund program administered by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and IEPA. Once the investigation and removal plans are approved and reimbursement eligibility is confirmed, Fehr Graham will provide bid documents which will be used by the City to solicit pricing for the removal of the UST's. The physical removal of the tanks is not part of this contract.
Unrelated to this contract, the City also conducted an asbestos and lead paint survey of the primary structure in 2025 and anticipates requesting bids to properly remove the asbestos containing materials encountered. It is anticipated that the contract for this work, which must be performed prior to building demolition, will be presented for approval later this year if necessary (over $50,000).
DISCUSSION:
In August 2025, the city published a Request for Qualifications for this investigation and eighteen (18) responses were received. City staff reviewed the responses and selected Fehr Graham of Rockford, IL as the preferred consultant (see attached submittal by Fehr Graham and scoring results for the top 3 respondents). Fehr Graham then provided the attached proposals with pricing in the amounts of $102,880 and $32,500 for SRP assistance and LUST assessment, respectively.
This work is part of CIP C123, which is approved in the 2026 budget, and will be paid using account number 236-1009-465.36-25 (Cleaning Services/Demolition).
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Failure to complete these assessments will prevent the City from completing the demolition and site preparation necessary to market this property, resulting in a potential loss of revenue.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I request the proposed resolution be adopted.
cc: Infrastructure & Technology Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to enter into an agreement with Fehr Graham of Rockford, IL in the amount of $135,380 to complete a Comprehensive Site Investigation at 720 N. Broadway and submit the necessary reports to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, a Request for Qualifications was published and eighteen (18) responses were received by the established due date of September 10, 2025; and
WHEREAS, City staff reviewed the responses and selected Fehr Graham of Rockford, IL as the preferred consultant to complete the investigation; and
WHEREAS, Fehr Graham subsequently provided pricing in the amounts of $102,880 and $32,500 for Site Remediation Program (SRP) assistance and Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) assessment, respectively; and
WHEREAS, funds will be provided in the budgeted CIP C123 account number 236-1009-465.36-25 (Cleaning Services/Demolition); and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: the Director of Purchasing is authorized to enter into an agreement with Fehr Graham of Rockford, IL in the amount of $135,380 to complete a Comprehensive Site Investigation at 720 N. Broadway and submit the necessary reports to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency