Aldermen Pave the Way for Sidewalk Along Central Avenue

Walking from 147th Street to 159th Street along Central Avenue is about to get a whole lot easier for Oak Forest residents, after aldermen Tuesday approved a contract with Lorusso Cement Contractors, Inc., and the city by the Oak Forest City Council.

At the council's Tuesday, Oct. 9 meeting, the council approved the contract, in the amount of $55,385 for the sidewalk work.

“We will have continuous sidewalk from 147th Street to 159th Street,” Kuspa said.

According to Kuspa, who was speaking for City Administrator Troy Ishler, who was absent from the meeting due attendance at a conference, the work will cost more than the $50,000 grant the city received from the Illinois Department of Economic & Commerce Opportunity.

“Troy is going to go back and try to get an additional $5,385 to finish the sidewalk project with only grant money,” Kuspa said. “He feels very confident he will get the project covered by the grant money.”

Kuspa added that should the city not be able to get the additional grant money, Oak Forest has enough money in its sidewalk escrow fund to cover the work.

The sidewalk work was put out to bid in two steps, Ishler wrote in a packet to the board. The first part was for work from James Drive to Independence Drive only, while the second bid was for the same stretch of land, along with an additional gap in front of the Jewel property. The final bid accepted by the board from Lorusso was for the latter.

The work is scheduled to begin Oct. 22 and should be complete by Nov. 21 of this year.  

See what else the aldermen have been up to:

• Sidewalk Coming Soon to 151st Street
  
• Flood Relief Coming Soon for Sara Ann Residents