Bids are being sought to raze two dilapidated buildings at the Lake County Fairgrounds before the Aug. 4 to 13 run of the Lake County Fair.
The Lake County Board of Commissioners in a special meeting Monday approved going out to bid for removal of buildings 22 and 23, the maintenance barn and storage garages, on the east side of the fairgrounds’ property.
Architect John Kirk, with DLZ Engineering’s South Bend office, said the project is a revised take of a project that would have razed the buildings and moved the fuel island. Bids for that work came in over budget and were rejected Monday by commissioners.
Commission President Mike Repay, D-Hammond, said only one bid was submitted for the original project which involved moving the fuel tanks. He said officials expected the work to cost around $75,000 but the bid came in about $100,000 more than expected. Removing the fueling station was also more difficult and may have taken more time overlapping with the fair.
“One of the problems we assumed was there were a finite amount of subs interested in doing the work,” Repay said.
Turning the project into only a demolition project makes it more simple and helps alleviate some of the time crunch, he said
Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, said the goal is to have the two buildings down before the fair.
“Really people shouldn’t be around one of them,” Tippy said.
Kirk said the work involves razing the two buildings and filling the area with gravel. He said he is unsure what the space will be used for in the future, but it could be additional parking for emergency vehicles during the fair and park parking at other times.
The fuel island work will be wrapped into another project that is going out for bid at the regular June commissioners meeting. Work on that project would not begin until after the fair.
cnapoleon@chicagotribune.com
