Committee approves $1.62 million impound lot for Kane County sheriff’s office

The Kane County Administration Committee on May 13 approved a $1,624,247 contract with Abbey Construction Company Inc. to build a secured impound parking lot for the sheriff’s office.

Chair Chris Kias moved the resolution and the committee voted to approve it following a presentation by project manager Wendy Franco. Franco said the project, funded by public-safety taxes and general fund capital, includes a paved, fenced lot with lighting, security cameras and stormwater controls. She told the committee the design engineer recommended Abbey as the lowest responsive bidder; the budgeted package includes a $1,575,692 base, an alternate of $48,555 and a $150,000 contingency, and staff seeks full board approval by June 9 so construction can begin in July and finish by November.

Committee members asked about site access and capacity. Matt, the county’s director of maintenance, said an old access road is gated and will be removed; he confirmed the lot will include an access gate. A sheriff’s office representative said the lot will be fully fenced, camera-monitored and intended to centralize impounded vehicles and equipment that currently are stored at multiple county locations.

Franco said the new lot will provide roughly 146 spaces compared with about 86 spaces currently in use on-site, which staff estimate will meet needs for the next 15–20 years. The design includes asphalt surfacing with a dedicated runoff system and replaceable filters to capture waste oil and similar pollutants before water reaches the retention area, and environmental staff reviewed the plan to ensure compliance.

Sheriff’s office staff emphasized that seized property must be retained as evidence for the duration of court cases, which can last years, and that secure storage will help preserve chain-of-custody requirements. The committee completed a roll-call vote and the motion carried.

The county plans to return to the full board for final approval on the schedule Franco provided; construction and contract administration will be overseen by White and Company under the current design services agreement.

The committee did not propose changes to the contract at the meeting; next procedural steps are final board approval and contractor mobilization per the project schedule.