
The Village of Bensenville’s Village Hall is a modern attractive building that stands proudly in the center of the thriving downtown. South of the Village Hall is a park area that occupies a quarter of a city block. The park is a sprawling grassy lawn with an abundance of shade trees. Surrounded by businesses, restaurants, and the village’s train station, the park serves as a vibrant village green, providing an open-air gathering place for the community that is used for events, festivals, and celebrations.
To the west of the Village Hall and green is a parking lot occupying half of the city block. The parking lot was in disrepair and in need of reconstruction. The Village took advantage of the parking lot reconstruction project to improve equity and accessibility and to enhance the Village green’s functioning by installing permanent canopy structures along a former alley between the parking lot and the green. The new structures turn the former alley into a multi-functioning space for farmer’s markets, festivals, and community events.
Civiltech provided Phase III Construction Engineering on this meaningful project, and the Village Engineering staff provided design. The Village Hall Parking Lot Reconstruction successfully improves accessibility, function, and provides immense community benefit for decades to come.
Use of Good Construction Management Techniques and Completion of the Project on Schedule
Completing the project on schedule was a primary challenge with a tight construction schedule of 8 weeks. Robust communications, a fully contained project site, and reuse of an existing material were all construction management techniques that helped the project be completed within the schedule.
Project team communication was critical to maintain this tight schedule. Weekly progress meetings involved all contractors and included creating day-to-day understanding and coordination of activities.
To facilitate the construction, the Village agreed to completely close the lot to create a fully contained project site instead of juggling a partial use staging strategy. Flyers were distributed to local businesses and Village staff indicating alternative parking lots for use during construction.
Also, during demolition it was discovered that the sub-grade aggregate which was intended to be removed was in good shape. Test bores verified the condition of the aggregate, so it was regraded instead of being removed and replaced saving time and cost.
Safety Performance and Demonstrated Awareness of the Need for a Good Overall Safety Program for workers and the Public During and After Construction
The full closure of the parking lot during construction was the fundamental approach to site safety. It not only benefitted the construction schedule but provided a safe and contained work zone for the contractors. The fully closed construction zone also prevented the general public from coming into contact with construction activities. Also, through communication with the businesses and community members, the public was well aware of alternate parking and construction site parameters.
Community Relations as Evidenced by Efforts to Minimize Public Inconvenience Due to Construction and Safety Precautions to Protect Public Lives and Property
Reconstructing a downtown parking lot that serves the entire community is inherently going to be an inconvenience. Communication was the key to minimizing the inconvenience. The Village and the Construction Engineering team focused on ensuring that the public clearly understood the project’s parameters and the alternative parking areas available to them.
The short construction schedule was also a benefit and was established to have construction activities occurring at a time when the parking area was less occupied. The goal of the schedule and the Construction Engineering team’s efforts was to get in and get out with the project done quickly. The public understood that they would be inconvenienced, but that it would be a very short timeframe. Flyers distributed by the team and message boards provided by the Village delivered ongoing updates and information.
Demonstrated Awareness for the Need to Protect the Environment Including any Special Considerations Given to Particular Environmental Concerns as well as Climate Change and/or Resiliency Components for Long-Term Community Benefit
The opportunity to recycle and reuse the existing sub-grade aggregate provided an environmental benefit by creating less construction debris and minimizing the trucking of materials in and out of the site. Also, an effort to protect the environment was demonstrated through efforts to keep construction dirt and dust contained. Street sweepers and water tank trucks were used to contain construction created air contaminants.
The overall investment in enhancing the downtown with the new canopy structures for public events creates a forward-looking long-term community benefit. This is one of several downtown Bensenville revitalization projects that are working to create a sustainable and thriving community with a strong civic core.
Unusual Accomplishments Under Adverse Conditions
The very tight 8-week construction schedule provided many challenges including lead times for the delivery of construction materials. The Construction Engineering team worked with the contractor to ensure that shop drawing review and material orders were handled expediently and efficiently.
Additional Conditions Deemed of Importance to the Public Works Agency, such as Quality Control Efforts and Time/Cost Saving Construction Techniques
A number of time and money saving strategies were employed. As noted above, the construction team chose to reuse the existing sub-grade aggregate which was an overall cost savings, was a benefit to the schedule, and reduced construction waste and its environmental impacts. The design also included the reuse of the Village’s LED light fixtures. The 10-year-old fixtures were in good working condition and already using low energy LED lamps. Refurbishing and reusing the existing light fixtures provided an overall project cost savings.
Use of alternative materials, practices or funding that demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and/or climate change resiliency
Through this locally funded project, the Village demonstrated their continued commitment to developing a sustainable and thriving downtown. The design includes planning for future electrical charging stations in a section of the parking lot and increased the number of accessible parking stalls. The new canopy structures convert a former alley into an exciting public space that further enhances the Village Hall and green as the functioning heart of the downtown.
However, the most demonstrated commitment to sustainability is in the forward-looking improvements of a downtown with an emphasis on pedestrian convenience, safety, and accessibility. For a sustainable downtown, the municipality must understand its community’s needs and maintain the resources to adapt when necessary. They rely on community input, outside help, and a clear path to the future. The Village of Bensenville has shown their commitment to a sustainable community through this public-focused and civic-minded improvement.