Lake Forest council awards Elowa Park parking-lot contract, approves omnibus package

The Lake Forest City Council on Feb. 20 approved an omnibus set of routine purchases and awarded a construction contract for parking‑lot improvements at Elowa Park.

Mayor read the omnibus items into the record before the council voted to approve them. The package included approval of the Feb. 5 meeting minutes; waivers of bond requirements for local school raffles; final approval of a water‑rate fee schedule for fiscal year 2025; authorization for the police department to purchase 16 semi‑rugged Panasonic Toughbook laptops and accessories for $63,838; authorization to purchase a new safety boat from Professional Boats for $45,865.16; a building‑repair contract for Deerpath Golf Course with Ephraim Carlson and Son for $108,801.81 plus a 10% contingency for a total of $119,801.81; roof replacement and repair for the Grove Campus to Filato Roofing for a total of $156,000; and award of the low bid for the Elowa parking‑lot improvements to Manival Construction for $453,210, with a 10% contingency ($40,321) for a total contract amount of $493,531.

Public works superintendent Byron Coutts described the Elowa project scope: resurfacing the existing (south) lot, expanding the lot to the north to add 32 spaces, adding three truck‑staging spots to reduce driveway congestion, installing an east‑west sidewalk connection to bike racks and nearby paths, adding a bioswale at the west side for water quality and landscape screening at the north end. Coutts said the plan stages work so the new expanded lot is brought to binder first to allow parking while the existing lot is resurfaced; the schedule targets a construction start in late March or early April, substantial completion by May 10 and final completion by May 24 to avoid conflicts with scheduled weekend events.

Coutts said staff restricted contractor work hours and limited weekend activity in May to accommodate evening food programs and markets at adjacent properties: "we restricted it so the contractor can't work past 4" and limited weekend activities in May to minimize conflicts. He also said the bid includes a landscape allowance and that the landscape plan will be presented to the civic beautification committee in March.

The council moved to approve the omnibus package and conducted a roll call; multiple aldermen recorded 'Aye' and the motion carried. Council did not remove any items for separate consideration.

Construction procurement documents list Manival Construction as the low bidder for Elowa Park and include the 10% contingency. City staff will coordinate staging and logistics with adjacent stakeholders during construction.