An Aurora City Council committee has recommended about a $9.2 million contract for some site work and construction on a new Public Works facility on the far East Side of the city.
Members of the Finance Committee last week unanimously recommended the contract with Berger Excavating Contractors to do site grading, site development and construction of the salt storage dome on the 25-acre site along Liberty Street, near County Line Road.
Eventually, the city will build a new building that would be home to five of the 16 divisions within the Public Works Department. It would include some offices, a maintenance area for city vehicles, some truck storage and a refueling station for city vehicles including police squad cars. The salt dome would be for storage of road salt for winter.
The contract with Berger is on items the city’s Public Works Department, which is made up of engineers, was able to design itself. The actual building was designed by an architect, and Ian Wade, of the department, said officials “are getting ready to go out for bid on the building.”
The entire project with the building included has been estimated to cost between $25 million and $30 million.
Another council committee, the Infrastructure and Technology Committee, earlier recommended about a $5.6 million contract with RC Wegman Construction Co., of Aurora, for construction management at the project.
Wade said the Berger contract was whittled down some because city officials said they could do part of the design. The contract not only covers the salt dome construction, but construction of the building pad, and pads for mulch and construction material storage. It also will include some of the inner roads and lighting.
Berger was the lowest of five bids.
“We’re excited to get started,” Wade said.
Both the Berger contract and the Wegman contract will go before the entire council at Committee of the Whole Tuesday evening.
