This past July, the Homewood experienced a tornado with winds over 100 mph. The storm caused significant power outages across the downtown area, including Village Hall, which was closed for three days. The Police and Fire Departments also experienced outages, but were able to function using backup power.
This incident caused the village to examine weaknesses in its electrical infrastructure. Since then, village staff have expressed desire for a more reliable system.
On Aug. 23 a request for qualifications (RFQ) was issued for an assessment of five village facilities: village hall, police station, fire station, municipal service center (public works facility), and Brian Carey Training Center (the village’s emergency operations center).
The goal of the assessment was to find a cost-efficient solution to the backup power systems. This will include upgrades for internal systems (outlets, internal circuitry, and emergency lighting) and for external systems (generator integration).
Two electrical firms have responded to the RFQ, Interface Engineering of Chicago and Millhouse Engineering of Chicago. Of the two firms, the village selected Interface Engineering as the more cost efficient option, with a proposed estimate of $34,500.
The funds for this assessment have been provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which gave the village a total of $148,518. The village will allocate the remaining $114,000 to another project.
Interface Engineering has provided services to University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and the city of Geneva, Illinois.
For the Homewood, Interface Engineering proposes to review current electrical equipment, interview village staff who are responsible for each facility, review current electrical layout and maintenance records, assess backup power required to meet the needs of each facility, meet with the village project manager to develop budget cost estimates, narrow options, and compile a final report.
This process is estimated to take around six to eight weeks to complete.
At the Nov. 12 board meeting, trustees approved for Mayor Rich Hofeld to enter an agreement with Interface Engineering of Chicago.
