Elk Grove Public Works Facilities Program

Challenge: The Mayor and Board of Trustees in Elk Grove Village established Elk Grove 2025, a long-range capital Public Works Facilities Program plan which includes public facility improvements, road improvements, streetscaping, bicycle/pedestrian projects, and drainage projects to meet Elk Grove Village’s needs for today and well into the future. Two Public Works facilities were part of this initiative: the James Paul Petri Public Works Facility and the Public Works Fleet Service Garage.

Originally built in 1960, the former Public Works Facility served the Village in numerous capacities over the years, including Village Hall, Police Station, and Fire Station. The former facility was 43,833 square feet in size and was built on a 3.78-acre parcel that was undersized for use by a modern-day Public Works Department.

Solution: Elk Grove Village hired HR Green to join the design team and leadership team to provide plan check and inspection services and act as the owner’s representative. This service included overseeing the design of each building to ensure that the projects listed were completed according to the concept’s planning documents and approving permit construction contract documents within the budget schedule, and newly adopted building codes and ordinances. This included schematic design, final construction documents, code review, site, and civil inspections, and all building inspections from pre-construction to final occupancy. Acting as the owner’s representative – among a multitude of other critical tasks – helped bring the unique Public Works Facilities Program to fruition. The primary construction manager was Nicholas & Associates and the primary designer was ARCON Associates. CAGE provided the site/civil engineering/architectural plan and specifications.

The new James Paul Petri Public Works Facility offers space consisting of offices, locker rooms, utility and infrastructure shops, garage space for 82 vehicles/trailers and 63 pieces of equipment, a wash bay, a training room, and more. The larger 9.8-acre site allowed the Village to design the new facility to meet the needs of the current Public Works Department and serve the community well into the future. The addition of stormwater detention and water quality enhancement system was a major upgrade for the region and neighboring properties since the former site had no stormwater detention or water quality features.

The Public Works Fleet Service Garage was constructed in 1980. For the past 37 years, the facility served Public Works and the Village well but was in need of repairs. In addition, Public Works recognized the need to serve the western portion of the community with an additional salt storage facility, to reduce travel times and enhance snow plowing operations. The updates have created a multi-purpose facility, including a complete facade overhaul of the existing building, the addition of the salt barn, fueling center, material storage, interior renovations to improve operations, landscape enhancements, parking lot rehabilitation, and the creation of a small nursery.

The new facilities optimize operations through efficient design, including the addition of an on-site salt barn, easy access to all equipment, and a smart water station available for contractors to fill tanker trucks for various purposes. Contractors pay the Village the typical water supply rate making it more convenient than meter rentals and has less impact on the water system and water quality. The ability to have inside storage for all vehicles and equipment and the addition of the wash bay reduces maintenance/upkeep and extends the life of the Village’s assets.