Board ratifies $120,043 emergency change order for summer CIP work

The Oak Park–River Forest School District on Tuesday ratified an emergency change order and contract with Abbey Construction Company for $120,043.14 to complete unexpected work discovered during this summer's campus improvement project.

Administration told the board that during demolition in a parking area crews found damaged cold shoe caps that could not be reused and an unrecorded vault beneath the pavement, which increased the project's scope beyond the 10% change-order threshold. The district attorney advised treating the procurement as an emergency so the work could be finished before school began. The board met in a brief special session following the committee meeting to ratify the action.

At the special meeting the presiding officer moved to approve the ratification and asked for a roll-call vote. The motion passed unanimously; administration confirmed the total contract amount as $120,043.14 and said the purchase remained within the overall CIP budget for the year. A board member asked for additional follow-up with legal counsel to review the procurement steps and the circumstances that necessitated the emergency classification.

The district said the change order was required to avoid serious schedule and safety impacts that would have delayed occupancy of affected facilities. The board recorded the vote and closed the special meeting.