The Homewood Village Board approved a $3.4 million contract at the March 10 meeting to begin the village’s decade-long lead service line replacement project.
The contract was awarded to Five Star Energy Services LLC of Waukesha, Wisconsin, for an amount not to exceed $3,441,825 to cover the 2026 construction phase.
According to Homewood Public Works Director Joshua Burman, the project is mandated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to replace all lead lines within 10 years. The village will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, in village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road, to provide information on the village’s next loan application to the IEPA.
The village plans to replace all 4,363 lead lines by 2036. The project will begin in spring 2026 with 267 service lines scheduled for construction. The village plans to replace approximately 410 lines annually through 2035, with the remaining lines scheduled for completion in 2036, Burman said.
The village’s engineering consultant, Burns & McDonnell, will help oversee the project and assist with the process, he said.
The work will be funded through the IEPA’s State Revolving Fund loan program. The village has secured $4,137,498 in funding for the fiscal year 2026 construction program, including $2,465,000 in principal forgiveness and $1,672,498 in interest-free loans, Burman said.
Federal and state regulations require municipalities to prioritize replacing lead lines that serve vulnerable populations, including schools and childcare facilities. The project will begin with those locations before expanding to residential properties, he said.
The construction work will use a method known as directional boring to reduce surface disruption. Contractors will drill underground from the street toward homes and install new copper service lines that connect the water main to a building’s interior plumbing. Once installation is complete, crews will seal the entry points and restore the surrounding area, Burman said.
The project was rebid earlier this year after the IEPA determined the village’s initial bid advertisement did not include required procurement language. When the project was rebid in February, Trine Construction Corp. of St. Charles submitted the lowest bid, but was deemed non-responsive after failing to meet the state’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise notification requirement, he said.
Although Trine Construction did complete the notification requirement during the initial bid process, they failed to do so for the rebid process, and therefore did not count, Burman said.
Because the bid did not comply with IEPA standards, the village moved forward with the next lowest qualified bidder, Five Star Energy Services, he said.
The next step is for the IEPA to review the bid process, after which the village will submit a notice of intent to award the contract before construction can begin, Burman said.
