PBC Awards Contract to Build South Side Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 9, 2002
Contact: Terry Levin
(312) 744-9277

A $2.6 million contract to build the new West Englewood library branch was awarded to a Chicago contracting firm Tuesday by the Public Building Commission.

Winning the contract was Fredrickson/KRJ, Inc., the lowest of four bidders on the project.

Construction of the new branch is scheduled to begin this spring on the 1700 block of West 63rd Street, according to Mayor Richard M. Daley, who also chairs the PBC. The site places it on the south side of 63rd Street between Hermitage Avenue and Wood Street.

"Both the children and adults of West Englewood will benefit greatly from this new, full-service library branch," Daley said. "Reading enriches life and is essential to success in our world."

Due to open in the fall of 2003, the new branch will be 7,000 square feet in size, housing a comprehensive collection of materials for children, teens and adults-including books, books on tape, newspapers and periodicals, and computers with Internet access. The building will be fully accessible to people with disabilities.

"The new library will directly serve the West Englewood neighborhood and serve as a complement to many other libraries now serving the residents of West Englewood," said Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey.

In its successful bid, Fredrickson/KRJ has committed to at least 28% of the contract value going to minority subcontractors and nearly 7% to woman-owned firms, according to PBC executive director Eileen Carey, whose agency will manage the construction.

Also, the contractor has committed that at least half the journeyman, apprentice and laborer work on the actual job site will be performed by minority workers, Carey added.

Other actions taken Tuesday by the PBC board, including the appointment of architects and owner's representatives for various projects, are listed on the PBC's web site at www.pbcchicago.com.